Ave StudioCanal: A new live action Asterix is being prepared
Maxime Saada welcomes the signing of a partnership with Hachette to develop a new branch of his firm, StudioCanal Stories.
“Our first project, to inaugurate this new label in style, will be the next adaptation of Hachette's most powerful franchise, in comics and in cinema, the absolute number one in all categories, the most popular French character throughout the world , Asterixwhose next film StudioCanal will develop in 'live action'.“
At the head of the audiovisual group StudioCanal, Maxime Saada announced this morning the launch of StudioCanal Stories, a unique label dedicated to adaptations of literary works. Thanks to the partnership signed between Vivendi and Lagardère, the group has moved closer to Hachette Livre, “the leading French publisher and third worldwide”, he specifies. And to inaugurate this new branch of the company, they decided to concoct together a new Asterixthe flagship comic book from Editions Albert René, with actors in the flesh.
Concretely, we do not know more for the moment: no screenwriter, director or actor has yet signed for this project, which we assume to be ambitious, because the adaptations of the comics by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo always have big budgets. Will it be a faithful adaptation or a new story? In any case, it's a big blow for StudioCanal, since since 1999, it was Pathé which produced all the Asterix live except number 4, For Her majesty (2012), by Laurent Tirard, co-financed by Fidélité Films, France Télévisions and Wild Bunch. Asterix and Obelix against Caesarby Claude Zidi, Cleopatra Mission (2002), by Alain Chabat, Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008), by Frédéric Forestier and Thomas Langman and The middle Empire (2023), by Guillaume Canet, were all produced by the firm au coq noir et jaune.
The two recent animated opuses, co-directed by Alexandre Astier and Louis Clichy, The Domain of the Gods (2014) and The Secret of the Magic Potion (2018) were produced by M6, which will also be behind a new animated feature, in 2026. As for the series that Alain Chabat is currently preparing from'Asterix and the Battle of the Chiefs (published in 1966), it will be broadcast on Netflix – and we should discover its first images in June, during the Annecy festival.
“We are aware of the cultural monument that is Asterix and we will ensure that we respect its universe, in homage to the work of its formidable creators René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo”comments Anna Marsh, Managing Director of StudioCanal.
The president of Editions Albert René, Isabelle Magnac, also says she is delighted with the launch of a sixth Asterix in live action:
“I am delighted with this agreement with STUDIOCANAL which aims to develop and produce the sixth opus of the adventures of Asterix in the cinema, after the success ofAsterix and the Middle Kingdom. STUDIOCANAL was able to convince us of its ambition, its international know-how, the quality of its teams and its professionalism. It is together and in close proximity that we will develop this new opus around the legendary work created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. This signature marks a new stage in the audiovisual adventure ofAsterixalready rich in news with the release of Alain Chabat's Netflix series in 2025 and that of the M6 cartoon planned for 2026.”
Finally, note that StudioCanal's ambitions with this new Asterix could well be international, the press release specifying that it has successfully supported another family franchise, this time from England: Paddington.
“StudioCanal has demonstrated on numerous occasions its expertise in literary adaptations into films and series, as well as its ability to take the biggest franchises around the world, starting with PADDINGTON (Michael Bond), we read in the middle of the ad on Asterix. This has notably been the subject of adaptation into three animated series, two BAFTA-nominated films which have grossed nearly $500 million at the worldwide box office, and a short film with Queen Elizabeth II. generating more than 100 million views, and a third opus which will soon be released in theaters.”
Alexandre Astier: “Asterix’s soul is something fragile”
