After The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius returns to silent film with his new film

The Oscar-winning filmmaker will make his return with The Third Hand, a fantastic film, in color and silent, starring François Civil, Bérénice Bejo and Rebecca Marder.

Two years after a foray into animated cinema with The Most Valuable of Goods (2024), presented in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Michel Hazanavicius is preparing to make his return.

Filming for his new film ended on August 7. Titled The third handthis feature film is written by Thomas Cailley (The Fighters), based on the eponymous novel by Arthur Dreyfus, published by POL editions

For The third handHazanavicius radically changes register. The story takes place in Verdun, in 1916, in the middle of the First World War. “Paul Marchand, a young soldier, is seriously injured and wakes up in the laboratory of a mad scientist who has grafted a German hand into his abdomen.” details the synopsis.

And the film will be silent and in color. A precision which necessarily refers to The Artista huge success by Michel Hazanavicius released in 2011. Filmed entirely in black and white and almost without dialogue, the film directed by Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo created an event around the world. The Artist notably won five Oscars, including those for Best Film and Best Director for Hazanavicius, as well as Best Actor for Jean Dujardin. A historic triumph for a silent French film which also won the Césars for best film and best director.

With The third handthe filmmaker therefore finds, more than fifteen years later, a form which is particularly familiar to him, but in a completely different universe: that of fantasy and horror.

François Civil, Bérénice Bejo, Rebecca Marder and Michel Fau are part of the cast of this new adventure, produced for a budget of 14 million euros by Florence Gastaud and Michel Hazanavicius, for Les Compagnons du cinéma, with Patrick Sobelman.

Distributed in France by Studiocanal, The third hand is expected in theaters in 2027.