Irma Vep | |
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Genre | |
Created by | Olivier Assayas |
Based on | Irma Vep by Olivier Assayas |
Written by | Olivier Assayas |
Directed by | Olivier Assayas |
Starring | |
Composer | Thurston Moore |
Country of origin | |
Original languages |
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No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer | Jes Anderson |
Production locations | Paris (Île-de-France), France |
Cinematography | |
Editors |
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Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 50–60 minutes |
Production companies |
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Distributor | |
Release | |
Original network | HBO |
Picture format | HDTV 1080i |
Audio format | 5.1 surround |
Original release | June 6, 2022 present | –
Irma Vep is a American-French comedy drama miniseries written and directed by Olivier Assayas, based on his 1996 film of the same name. The series premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2022, and was released on June 6, 2022 on HBO.
Premise
Irma Vep revolves around Mira, an American movie star disillusioned by her career and a recent breakup, who comes to France to star as Irma Vep in a remake of the French silent film serial Les Vampires. Set against the backdrop of a lurid crime thriller, Mira struggles as the distinctions between herself and the character she plays begin to blur and merge.[1]
Cast
Starring
- Alicia Vikander as Mira Harberg, an American actress keen to change the direction of her career and shake off a recent tabloid scandal.
- Vincent Macaigne as René Vidal, the director of the remake
Recurring co-stars
- Adria Arjona as Laurie, Mira's ex-assistant and ex-girlfriend. After things did not end well with Mira, she married Herman.
- Byron Bowers as Herman, a Hollywood filmmaker who is in Paris to promote his latest film. He will take director René Vidal's place for the time being in the Vampires project.
- Jeanne Balibar as Zoe
- Vincent Lacoste as Edmond Lagrange
- Nora Hamzawi as Carla
- Hippolyte Girardot as Robert Danjou
- Devon Ross as Regina, Mira's assistant; a cinephile who soon will direct her first feature.
- Alex Descas as Gregory Desormeaux, reprising his role from the original film
- Antoine Reinartz as Jeremie
- Sigrid Bouaziz as Séverine
- Carrie Brownstein as Zelda, Mira's agent. She is not interested in the Vampires project and has far more lucrative offers for Mira.
- Tom Sturridge as Eamonn, Mira's ex-boyfriend. He's in Paris for a movie, and they have not seen each other since they broke up.
- Fala Chen as Cynthia Keng, a rising star from Hong Kong hired by René Vidal to play Irma Vep's provocative accomplice and part of the Vampires' plans.
- Lars Eidinger as Gottfried
Other co-stars
- Valérie Bonneton as Mira's French PR
- Kristen Stewart
Episodes
No. | Title [2] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [2] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "The Severed Head" | Olivier Assayas | Olivier Assayas | June 6, 2022 | 0.071[3] |
2 | "The Ring that Kills" | Olivier Assayas | Olivier Assayas | June 13, 2022 | 0.046[4] |
3 | "Dead Man's Escape" | Olivier Assayas | Olivier Assayas | June 20, 2022 | 0.049[5] |
4 | "The Poisoner" | Olivier Assayas | Olivier Assayas | June 27, 2022 | TBD |
5 | "Hypnotic Eyes"[6] | Olivier Assayas | Olivier Assayas | July 4, 2022 | TBD |
6 | "The Thunder Master"[7] | Olivier Assayas | Olivier Assayas | July 11, 2022 | TBD |
7 | "Satanas"[8] | Olivier Assayas | Olivier Assayas | July 18, 2022 | TBD |
8 | "The Terrible Wedding"[9] | Olivier Assayas | Olivier Assayas | July 25, 2022 | TBD |
Production
Assayas started developing the miniseries in May 2020 as a loose adaptation of the film, with it being officially ordered by HBO in December 2020 and to be written and directed by Assayas.[10]
Filming
Casting
In December 2020, Alicia Vikander was announced to have been cast in the leading role.[10][11] Adria Arjona, Carrie Brownstein, Jerrod Carmichael, Fala Chen and Devon Ross were cast in July.[12] In August, Byron Bowers and Tom Sturridge were cast, with Sturridge replacing Carmichael who had to depart the project due to scheduling conflicts.[13] In November, several new roles were announced, including Vincent Macaigne, Jeanne Balibar, Lars Eidinger, Vincent Lacoste, Hippolyte Girardot, Alex Descas, Nora Hamzawi and Antoine Reinartz, with Macaigne cast as the director of the film and the rest of the announced as cast and crew.[14] In an Interview with The New Yorker Kristen Stewart revealed that she was cast in a small part.[15]
Music
The song playing during the opening credits is Mdou Moctar's "Ya Habibti".[16]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 31 reviews with an average rating of 8.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Catnip for cinephiles and a welcome spotlight for the spellbinding Alicia Vikander, Irma Vep is a worthwhile expansion of writer-director Olivier Assayas' cinematic opus".[17] On Metacritic, it has a score of 84 out of 100, based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]
Following its premiere at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter described the series as "loose and intellectually loopy, broad and jokey one moment and wallowing in sad self-absorption the next" and found Vikander's performance "wonderfully light and open".[19]
In his review for Variety, Daniel D'Addario commended Vikander's performance, concluding: "If big-budget moviemaking is a prison, then Vikander-as-Mira, sylphlike and darting, is going to wiggle out between the bars."[20] David Cote of The A.V. Club graded it with an "A" and praised Assayas's direction, writing "It's a masterful handling of visual vocabularies, arguably the most sophisticated serial moviemaking HBO has ever produced".[21] RogerEbert.com's Brian Tallerico called it a "smart, twisting look behind-the-scenes, and a reminder that Olivier Assayas is one of the best alive today in the filmmaking business, and apparently TV too".[22] In his review for The Ringer, Adam Nayman wrote, "The pleasures of a show like Irma Vep lie in its relentless cleverness and post-modern sophistication—the way it flaunts its own intelligence and frame of reference", praising the characters and direction.[23]
References
- ^ Thorne, Will (December 14, 2020). "Alicia Vikander to Star in HBO Series 'Irma Vep' From Olivier Assayas". Variety. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ a b "Irma Vep – Episodes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 7, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Monday 6.6.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 14, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Monday 6.13.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 21, 2022). "Showbuzz Daily's Monday 6.20.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Irma Vep 05: Hypnotic Eyes". HBO. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ "Irma Vep 06: The Thunder Master". HBO. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ "Irma Vep 07: Satanas". HBO. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ "Irma Vep 08: The Terrible Wedding". HBO. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ a b White, Peter (December 14, 2020). "Alicia Vikander To Star In TV Adaptation Of Olivier Assayas' Feature Film 'Irma Vep' For HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Debruge, Peter; Keslassy, Elsa (April 14, 2022). "Cannes: David Cronenberg, Claire Denis and George Miller Join 'Elvis' and 'Top Gun' in 2022 Lineup". Variety. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Petski, Denise (July 19, 2021). "'Irma Vep': Adria Arjona, Carrie Brownstein, Jerrod Carmichael Among 5 Cast In TV Adaptation Of Olivier Assayas' Feature Film For HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ Petski, Denise (August 5, 2021). "'Irma Vep': Byron Bowers & Tom Sturridge Join HBO's TV Adaptation Of Olivier Assayas' Feature Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ Murphy, J. Kim (November 23, 2021). "Olivier Assayas' 'Irma Vep' HBO Series Adds Eight New Cast Members". Variety. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ Witt, Emily (November 15, 2021). "How Kristen Stewart Became Her Generation's Most Interesting Movie Star". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ Johnson, J. Paul (June 6, 2022). "Irma Vep Episode 1: 'The Severed Head'". 25 Years Later. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ Irma Vep, retrieved June 3, 2022
- ^ Irma Vep, retrieved June 3, 2022
- ^ Fienberg, Daniel (May 22, 2022). "Alicia Vikander in HBO's 'Irma Vep': TV Review | Cannes 2022". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- ^ D'Addario, Daniel (June 2, 2022). "'Irma Vep' Is Shrewd Industry Commentary, Anchored by Alicia Vikander: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Cote, David (June 2, 2022). "HBO's Irma Vep is ridiculously meta and enjoyable". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (June 3, 2022). "Olivier Assayas, Alicia Vikander Are Having a Blast in HBO's Irma Vep | TV/Streaming | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- ^ "'Irma Vep' Is a Sprawling, Brilliant TV Show About Movies". www.theringer.com. Retrieved June 6, 2022.