Sam Clafin to star in Greg Latter's adaptation of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, directed by Billie August

As reported by Variety, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, a new series adapted from the classic Alexandre Dumas novel by Greg Latter, is now in production. Directed by legendary Danish Director Billie August, whose 1987 film PELLE THE CONQUEROR won the Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the series will star Sam Clafin (DAISY JONES & THE SIX) in the lead role.

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO is the first television series produced entirely by the Mediawan group. Palomar in Italy, best known for its INSPECTOR MONTALBANO series, is lead producer, in collaboration with DEMD Productions in France. The show will be distributed through Mediawan Rights and has been commissioned by broadcasters RAI Fiction in Italy and France Televisions in France.

The series follows Edmond Dantes, played by Clafin, a nineteen-year-old sailor who is wrongfully accused of treason. After years of imprisonment in the Château d’If, a frightening fortress on an island near Marseille, Dantes escapes and assumes the persona of the Count of Monte Cristo. He soon plots his revenge on those who had him imprisoned.

Carlo Degli Esposti, Palomar’s co-founder and veteran producer, told Variety he was confident that “quality of the script” written by Greg Latter, along with “the creative vision of August and performance of Sam Claflin in the title role” would give THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO “a modern edge while remaining faithful to the legacy of Alexandre Dumas’ work.” 

The series is currently filming across France, Italy, and Malta. The five-month shoot will wrap in December.

About Greg Latter

Greg is an award-winning South African writer and director who has worked all over the world. He is the recipient of the Thomas Pringle Award for Creative Writing (1982), the Sithengi Best Screenplay Award (2005), the SAFTA Best Screenplay Award (2007) and the Naledi Best Play Award (2011). In a career spanning 35 years, he has had 22 feature films, 11 television series and 5 plays produced.

Greg has worked with director Billie August several times before, including on his highly praised feature NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON, which starred Jeremy Irons as the lead. Their most recent collaboration, the feature film ME, YOU, went into production in September 2022 and stars Tom Hollander and James Franco.

Star-studded cast announced for Greg Latter's post-World War Two drama ME, YOU

Image Credit: Cristaldi Pics

As reported by Variety, ME, YOU, a feature film written by Greg Latter, adapted from the novel TU, MIO by Erri De Luca, will feature BAFTA-winning star of REV and ABOUT TIME, Tom Hollander, and Academy Award-nominated star of 127 HOURS and THE DISASTER ARTIST, James Franco. Legendary Danish Director Billie August, whose 1987 film PELLE THE CONQUEROR won the Palme d'Or, and Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, is attached to direct.

Set in 1955, ME, YOU tells the story of Marco, a 16-year-old boy with an Italian mother and English father (played by Hollander), who spends his summers on the Italian island of Ischia.  Marco befriends Nicola (played by Franco), a former GI turned fisherman, who regales Marco with stories from the war. Soon Marco also meets and falls for 20-year-old Caia, a Romanian Jewish orphan whose father threw her out of a train in Yugoslavia to prevent her from being taken to the camps. Marco’s friendship with Caia makes him examine his own trauma from the war, and, desperate to win Caia’s heart, Marco vows to take revenge on the SS by plotting against a group of German tourists on the island.

Daisy Jacob (EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE) also stars as Caia. Principal photography is set to begin in September 2022 on location in Ischia.

About Greg Latter

Greg is an award-winning South African writer and director who has worked all over the world. He is the recipient of the Thomas Pringle Award for Creative Writing (1982), the Sithengi Best Screenplay Award (2005), the SAFTA Best Screenplay Award (2007) and the Naledi Best Play Award (2011). In a career spanning 35 years, he has had 22 feature films, 11 television series and 5 plays produced.

Greg has worked with director Billie August several times before, including most recently on his highly praised feature NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON, which starred Jeremy Irons as the lead.

Liu Yifei stars in The Chinese Widow for Zhejiang Roc Pictures

Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei (THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, THE ASSASSINS) stars as protagonist Ying in the new feature film written by Greg Latter (NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON,  GOODBYE BAFANA) for Zhejiang Roc Pictures of Hangzhou.

Principal photography has begun in China, stay tuned for further information on the shoot and release.

It’s a Wrap on Greg Latter’s LET ME SURVIVE

Filming has finished on the Greg Latter adapted film, LET ME SURVIVE, directed by Eduardo Rossoff and produced by Jean-Luc Van Damme for Banana Films.

The movie tells the story of Kate's (played by Kierston Wareing) ill-advised decision to join her ex-husband on a stolen yacht, accompanied by their young daughter. Engulfed in a raging storm, the reunited family are forced to abandon ship off the coast of West Africa. Trapped in a life boat they must contend not only with the elements, but also each other.

You can see a trailer for the film here and it is also listed on IMDb.

Greg Latter visits the set of NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON

The Greg Latter co-scripted NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON recently started filming on location in Lisbon, Portugal. Greg went out to see how things were developing last weekend, and ended up having a great time on set with star Jeremy Irons (pictured, right, with Greg and his wife Elise).

The film is a co-production between Studio Hamburg and C-Films and stars Jeremy Irons, Jack Huston, Bruno Ganz, Charlotte Rampling and Christopher Lee. It is directed by Palme D'Or, Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Bille August.