Netflix Sets Xavier Gens’ Genre Movie Set in Paris’ Seine, Starring Berenice Bejo as Next French Film Original (EXCLUSIVE)

Elsa Keslassy

Netflix has set Xavier Gens’ (“Gangs of London”) untitled Paris-set genre movie starring Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist“) and Nassim Lyes (“Overdose”) as its next French film original.

Set in the Summer of 2024, the film unfolds in Paris which is hosting the World Triathlon Championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia, a brilliant scientist, learns from Mika, a young environmental activist, that a large shark is swimming deep in the river. To avoid a bloodbath at the heart of the city, they have no choice but to join forces with Adil, the Seine river police commander.

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Bejo and Lyes star in the film opposite Léa Léviant. The film is produced by Let Me Be and is slated for a launch on Netflix in 2024.

One of France’s best known genre filmmaker, Gens previously directed “The Divide” which played at SXSW, “Frontière (s),” as well as the series “Gangs of London.”

This ambitious elevated genre film follows Netflix’s other hit French original movies such as “Oxygene” directed by Alexandre Aja and starring Melanie Laurent, and “Athena” directed by Romain Gavras.

Although Netflix has not disclosed the budget, Gens’ movie appears to boast topnotch production values and a glossy cinematography which will set it appart from most French genre films with niche appeal.

The project will also mark Bejo’s rare incursion in the genre film world. She earned an Oscar nomination and a Cesar award for her role in “The Artist,” and won Cannes’s best actress award for her performance in Asghar Farhadi’s “The Past.”

Another exclusive still from the movie:

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