Actor Vincent Cassel ("Mesrine: Part 1 - Killer Instinct") has been cast to play the 'Joker-like' villain 'Fantômas', in the upcoming feature adaptation, from director Christophe Gans ("The Brotherhood Of The Wolf")."Fantômas", created by writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914) in 1911, is one of the most popular characters in French crime fiction, appearing in a total of 32 volumes written by the two collaborators, then a subsequent 11 volumes written by Allain after Souvestre's death.
The character has also been the basis of numerous film, television, and comic book adaptations, typified as a ruthless bastard, loyal to no one, while maintaining abilities as a master of disguise, usually appearing under an assumed identity.
With a budget set at $70 million, Gans will also write the screenplay for the "Fantômas" 'detective fantasy' feature, with David Martinez, from an original story by Thomas Langmann.Click the images to enlarge...
