The Count of Monte Cristo (2024 TV series)

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The Count of Monte Cristo
Based on The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Directed by Bille August
Starring Sam Claflin
Jeremy Irons
Ana Girardot
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
Michele Riondino
Nicolas Maupas
Lino Guanciale
Gabriella Pession
Country of originFrance
Italy
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
ProducerCarlo Degli Esposti
Production companies
Original release
Network France Télévisions (France)
RAI (Italy)

The Count of Monte Cristo is a 2024 English-language television miniseries directed by Bille August [1] [2] [3] and starring Sam Claflin. It is an adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel of the same name.

Contents

Plot

Unjustly accused of treason, young sailor Edmond Dantès is imprisoned without trial in the Château d'If, a gloomy island fortress off the coast of Marseille. After many years of imprisonment, he finally manages to escape and, assuming the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo, enacts his revenge against those who deprived him of his freedom.

Cast

Production

It is produced by Mediawan with Palomar in Italy and DEMD Productions in France, and in association with Entourage Ventures. Producer Carlo Degli Esposti, co-founder of Italian production company Palomar, says: [1]

The Count of Monte Cristo was my reading book and I always dreamed of adapting it into a movie or series

He also states that adaptations of the classics have often been criticized for being outdated, but he is convinced that the quality of the script, August's creative vision, and Sam Claflin's performance in the main role will give the series a modern twist while remaining faithful to the legacy of Alexandre Dumas' work. [1] [3]

DEMD's Sébastien Pavard points out that producing the series in English allowed the producers to bring together talent from Italy, France, Denmark, and England. [1] He presents the series as a story of love and betrayal and the revenge of the oppressed against the powerful. In addition, the series promises to put more emphasis on the psychological depth, emotions and motivations of the characters, presenting stronger female characters, including the young Haydee, who is not a frightened slave as in the book, but rather a courageous and autonomous woman. [1] [4]

According to Élisabeth d'Arvieu, head of Mediawan Pictures, the project was initiated by Palomar, the Italian production company of the Mediawan group, and then turned to its French subsidiary DEMD Productions to make a French-Italian co-production. The series fits into the company's DNA because it is based on an emblematic and world-renowned European subject and brings together a prestigious cast. It also states:

We have done some other great series, such as Zorro as part of our partnership with Entourage, but The Count of Monte Cristo is the first one that is 100 percent Mediawan's and meets all requirements.

Speaking of Bille August's involvement, Élisabeth d'Arvieu says that he gave the series a very cinematic appeal. Beyond the budget, the fact that he recruited a director who has won both the Palme d'Or and the Oscar speaks volumes about his ambition to make productions of the highest caliber. [1]

Bille August states that the relationships and complexity of human beings drew his attention to this project being timeless themes. [1]

Manuel Alduy, director of cinema and young adult and international drama at France Télévisions, stresses that the series has all the ingredients of a great international series that will delight French audiences thanks to an ambitious production by Palomar and DEMD, a formidable cast and a great director like August at the helm. He also praises the pride of collaboration with RAI, in this new co-production, marking the twelfth international series co-produced by the European Alliance. [5]

Filming

Filming began between August and December 2023 and took place at the Palais-Royal in Paris. [1] Other filming locations include Turin, Milan and Malta. [2] Jeremy Irons told Variety that the castle used in the production in Malta is the same age as the one mentioned in Dumas' original text.

Casting

In early August 2023, Digital Spy and Movieplayer.it sites revealed that Sam Claflin would play the role of Edmond Dantès, joined by Ana Girardot and Nicolas Maupas. [1] [2]

On October 11, 2023, U.S. magazine Variety, picked up by the website Collider, revealed that the cast also included Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Blake Ritson, Karla-Simone Spence, Michele Riondino, Lino Guanciale and Gabriella Pession. [3] [4]

Broadcast

The series premiered at the 19th Rome Film Festival on October 19th 2024, and is expected to air on 11 December 2024 on RAI and France Televisions broadcasters. [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

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The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (père) serialized from 1844 to 1846. It is one of the author's most popular works, along with The Three Musketeers. Like many of his novels, it was expanded from plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmond Dantès</span> Protagonist of Alexandre Dumass 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo

Edmond Dantès is a title character, Byronic hero and the protagonist of Alexandre Dumas's 1844 adventure novel The Count of Monte Cristo. Within the story's narrative, Dantès is an intelligent, honest and loving man who turns bitter and vengeful after he is framed for a crime he did not commit. When Dantès finds himself free and enormously wealthy, he takes it upon himself to reward those who have helped him in his plight and punish those responsible for his years of suffering. He is known by the aliases The Count of Monte Cristo, Abbé Busoni,Lord Wilmore, and Sinbad the Sailor.

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The Count of Monte Cristo is a 2002 American historical adventure film, which is an adaptation of the 1844 novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas, produced by Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, and Jonathan Glickman, and directed by Kevin Reynolds. The film stars Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, James Frain, Dagmara Dominczyk, Luis Guzmán and Henry Cavill in one of his earliest roles. It follows the general plot of the novel, with the main storyline of imprisonment and revenge preserved, but many elements, including the relationships between major characters and the ending were modified.

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The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1934 American adventure film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Robert Donat and Elissa Landi. Based on the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, the story concerns a man who is unjustly imprisoned for 20 years for innocently delivering a letter entrusted to him. When he finally escapes, he seeks revenge against the greedy men who conspired to put him in prison.

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The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1975 television film produced by ITC Entertainment and based upon the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. It was directed by David Greene and starred Richard Chamberlain as Edmond Dantès, Kate Nelligan as Mercedes, Tony Curtis as Fernand Mondego, Louis Jourdan as De Villefort, Donald Pleasence as Danglars, Trevor Howard as Abbé Faria, and Isabelle de Valvert as Haydee. ITC had previously produced a 39-part TV series based on the same source material, in 1956.

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<i>Monte Cristo</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

Monte Cristo (1929), also known as Le Comte de Monte-Cristo in France and The Count of Monte-Cristo in the US, is a French silent film directed by Henri Fescourt, and is a film adaptation of the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, père.

<i>The Count of Monte Cristo</i> (Wildhorn musical) Musical

The Count of Monte Cristo is a musical based on the famed 1844 novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas, with influences from the 2002 film adaptation of the book. The music is written by Frank Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Jack Murphy.

<i>The Count of Monte Cristo</i> (1943 film) 1943 film by Robert Vernay

The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1943 French-Italian historical drama film directed by Robert Vernay with Ferruccio Cerio as the supervising director. Based on the classic 1844 novel Le Comte de Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas père, this two-part film stars Pierre Richard-Willm in the title role. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome and the Cité Elgé in Paris. The film's sets were designed by the art director René Renoux.

The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1942 Mexican historical adventure film directed by Roberto Gavaldón and Chano Urueta and starring Arturo de Córdova, Mapy Cortés, Rafael Baledón and Esperanza Baur. It is based on Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo. a story which has been adapted for film many times.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Bille August to Direct Mediawan's Ambitious Series The Count of Monte Cristo Starring Sam Claflin, Produced by Palomar".
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Tournage de la série Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, réalisée par bille August (co-production européenne)".
  3. 1 2 3 "Sam Claflin to Star in New The Count of Monte Cristo Adaptation".
  4. 1 2 "Two-time Palme d'Or winner Bille August is filming The Count of Monte Cristo".
  5. ↑ "France Télévisions: tournage de la série-évènement «Le Comte de Monte-Cristo» produite par l'Alliance européenne".
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