Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière’s grand French epic, The Count Of Monte-Cristo, made a stunning debut at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday night, receiving an enthusiastic ovation that lasted nearly 12 minutes. This latest adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ timeless adventure novel premiered out of competition at the festival.
Previously, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley had topped the ovation charts at Cannes this year, having received an 11-minute standing ovation.
The three-hour film boasts a star-studded cast, including Pierre Niney, Anaïs Demoustier, Laurent Lafitte, Pierfrancesco Favino, Anamaria Vartolomei, and Bastien Bouillon, all of whom were present for the premiere. Niney leads the cast as Edmond Dantes, a young man who is wrongfully imprisoned due to a sinister plot hatched on his wedding day. After 14 harrowing years in the island prison of Château d’If, Dantes escapes and amasses a fortune. Transforming into the enigmatic Count of Monte-Cristo, he seeks vengeance against those who betrayed him.
Delaporte and de la Patellière, who also co-wrote the script, are no strangers to Dumas adaptations, having collaborated on the 2023 two-part film The Three Musketeers.
The film’s debut was further highlighted by the announcement that Samuel Goldwyn Films has secured the U.S. distribution rights, planning a release later this year. In France, Pathé will bring The Count Of Monte-Cristo to theaters with a wide release scheduled for June 28.
