Mathieu Kassovitz will direct his 8th film: The Big War

Nearly 15 years after Order and Morality, the French filmmaker announces that he wants to adapt the comic book The Beast is Dead, released during the Second World War.

For more than a decade, he has mainly devoted himself to his profession as an actor, notably in the fantastic Legends Office from Canal +. But 13 years later Order and Morality, Mathieu Kassovitz will make his return to the director's chair. He will direct an English-language film, The Big Warinspired by French comics, The beast is dead !, published in 1944 and signed Edmond-François Calvo (drawings) and Victor Dancette (screenplay).

“It’s a project I’ve been working on for twenty years,” entrusts Mathieu Kassovitz in Deadline, specifying that it will be a film combining animation and live action. It is Caroline Thompsonscreenwriter of The strange Christmas of Mr. Jackof the Funeral Wedding and D'Edward Scissorhandswho is writing the project. “The comic reimagines this war with animals. The Nazis are wolves who attack the “vermin” – rabbits – who represent the victims of the war. The story focuses on two rabbits searching for their family who have been taken away. And along their journey, they discover adventures and other bunnies who join their cause.”

Caroline Thompson believes that it is “a beautiful, sincere story We've been talking about it for a while. Mathieu is a great person to work with and that inspired me to get back into writing.”

The project gains new momentum with the arrival of the producer and animation specialist Aton Soumachefamous for The little Prince And Miraculous, the movie. “I am shooting the film in real locations and settings, then the animal characters will be added. So I'm going to shoot a film which will be delivered to the animators. We are currently in the design phase and are looking for financiers and aim to start production by the end of the year. We will have a budget of around $30 million and we are in discussions with American and British actors whose names I cannot yet reveal..”

Mathieu Kassovitz himself will also play a role in the film.