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Olivier Assayas has returned to give yet another masterpiece, but this time with a remake of his 1996 film, Irma Vep, an upcoming mini-series with a similar premise, updated for modern times.
It will show the uncertain ground between fiction and reality, artifice and authenticity, art and life. Olivier Assayas would be bringing one of his most celebrated movies to the series format.
Here's everything viewers need to know about the upcoming HBO series.
When is Irma Vep expected to air?
HBO's upcoming mini-series, Irma Verp, premieres on Monday, 6 June at 9.00 pm. It will also be available to stream on HBO Max and will mostly be in English with some French subtitles. UK audiences will get the series on Sky Atlantic (streaming on NOW TV). However, the date for the same is yet to be announced.
The 1996 film revolved around a film crew led by a volatile director remaking a 1915 French noir, Les Vampires, about a group of criminals, including Irma Vep, who wore a black suit. The only difference between the film and the TV adaptation is that the main character was a Hong Kong actress, and now it's an American actress.
The synopsis of the series reads:
"Mira is an American movie star disillusioned by her career and a recent breakup, who comes to France to star as 'Irma Vep' in a remake of the French silent film classic, Les Vampires. Set against the backdrop of a lurid crime thriller, Mira struggles as the distinctions between herself and the character she plays begin to blur and merge. Irma Vep reveals to us the uncertain ground that lies at the border of fiction and reality, artifice and authenticity, art and life."
The series stars Alicia Vikander, Byron Bowers, Tom Sturridge, Adria Arjona, Fala Chen, Carrie Brownstein, Lars Eidinger, Devon Ross, Vincent Lacoste, Vincent Macaigne, Jeanne Balibar, Jess Liaudin, Nora Hamzawi, Hippolyte Girardot, Alex Descas, Antoine Reinartz, Jonathan Leroux, Johannes Oliver Hamm and Michèle Clément.
Check out the trailer for the upcoming mini-series
The official trailer for Irma Vep dropped earlier this week. It featured Alicia Vikander as Mira, an American movie star dissatisfied with her career and eager for a non-English challenge. However, her non-existent French is not the only thing that viewers will see, but also her besotted colleagues, on-set divas, and a far-from-stable director struggling to make sense of the film.
The story has a unique look, including Paris life as a backdrop and the iconic black bodysuit that Vikander’s character wears, which grabs the eye of the viewer. At the same time, they also get brief glimpses of other characters and scenarios to provide a proper tease without giving what’s in store.
The series is co-produced by A24 and features music by Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Dean & Britta. It is executively produced by Daniel Delume, Ashley Levinson, Kevin Turen, and Sam Levinson.
Irma Vep recently debuted at the 2022 Cannes, where Playlist editor-in-chief Rodrigo Perez praised the meta nature of the series and praised Assayas’ deepening relationship with the lore. He stated:
"In many ways, it is Assayas' exploration of his neurotic relationship to filmmaking and his own work, past, and more. But as much as the film veers into psychotherapy in this regard — relitigating ancient personal histories and doing so very super-meta-y and self-reflexively — it’s self-aware, playful, intellectually curious, and at times, very cleverly amusing."
Catch Irma Vep on HBO and HBO Max from Monday, June 6.
