Gerard Depardieu will star in the first installment of Jean-Francois Richet’s (Assault on Precinct 13) two-film project about infamous gangster Jacques Mesrine, known in France as “the man with 1,000 faces.”
L’Instinct de Mort (Death Instinct) and L’Ennemi Public no.1 (Public Enemy No. 1), written by Abdel Raouf Dafri, will highlight the murders and mysteries surrounding Mesrine, played by Vincent Cassel.
Depardieu will play Mesrine’s fellow gangster and mentor in “Instinct,” and familiar faces Marion Cotillard and Eva Green also are rumored to be attached to the 35 million-40 million ($46.2 million-$52.8 million) budget venture.
The confirmed cast for “Enemy” includes Samuel Le Bihan, Olivier Gourmet, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Gilles Lellouche.
The movies will be filmed in reverse order, with “Enemy” ready to begin its 15-week shoot in France on April 30 and “Instinct” to commence filming on Aug. 20 in France, Canada, Spain and Algeria.
