There has been a renewed interest in movie adaptations of classic works of literature in France, which have been doing well recently. The latest to join that list is The Count of Monte Cristo, a new adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel of the same name.
Most recently, France produced a lavish, multi-starrer two-part adaptation of Dumas' The Three Musketeers, released separately in 2023, within a span of a few months.
Aside from being one of France's top box-office hits, and collecting $100 million worldwide, The Count of Monte Cristo has now received the most number of nominations in France's César awards, the French cinema's equivalent of the Oscars. It was followed by Beating Hearts and Emilia Perez.
Written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelliere, and starring Pierre Niney as the eponymous protagonist, The Count of Monte Cristo got nominated in 14 categories, while Beating Hearts got 13 and Emilia Perez, 12.
Beating Hearts, directed by Gilles Lellouche, was also one of the country's top grossers. A modern-day Romeo and Juliet story, the film is headlined by François Civil and Adèle Exarchopoulos.
Meanwhile, Emilia Perez, which won four Golden Globes, is also among the titles with the most number of Oscar nominations. The Jacques Audiard directorial has been nominated in 13 categories.
One of Dumas' most popular novels, The Three Musketeers explored themes such as power, revenge, justice, and bravery and placed its central protagonist amidst interesting moral conflicts.
It has been adapted in television and cinema numerous times, in multiple languages, even in India and Sri Lanka. The last movie adaptation came out in 2002. An English-language series based on the book was released last year.