'Quasimodo': French Period Drama Set During 1830 Paris Revolt Starring Vincent Cassel
The film will shoot this summer in France, with acclaimed director Jean-Francois Richet at the helm and a script by Eric Besnard (Delicieux).
Netflix is set to produce its next major French film, Quasimodo, starring Vincent Cassel as the legendary character from Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Produced by Clément Miserez and Matthieu Warter of Radar Films, a Mediawan company, Quasimodo promises to be an epic reimagining of the iconic figure.
Set against the backdrop of Paris on the eve of the July Revolution in 1830, the story explores the life of the man who inspired Hugo’s fictional Quasimodo — a disfigured bell-ringer at Notre Dame. The narrative unfolds amid cholera outbreaks and political upheaval, with the protagonist caught between societal chaos and an impossible love. While specific plot details remain under wraps, early descriptions suggest a dark, intense tone.
This project reunites Richet with Cassel, who previously starred in the acclaimed two-part crime saga Mesrine as notorious gangster Jacques Mesrine and in The Emperor of Paris as François Vidocq, a legendary figure considered the father of France’s police force. Cassel has also appeared in other period dramas like The Three Musketeers.
Throughout history, many actors — including Lon Chaney, Charles Laughton, Anthony Quinn, and Anthony Hopkins — have portrayed Quasimodo. Scriptwriter Besnard is also directing Valjean, a film exploring the origins of Jean Valjean from Hugo’s Les Misérables, indicating his deep engagement with Hugo’s works.
