Xavier Gens is stepping away from the Paris-Plages buzz surrounding Sous la Seine to return to science fiction in his next film, Homewrecker. And he’s lining up a Hollywood cast.
For years, Xavier Gens has been developing projects that straddle several countries. After his breakout, part of the wave of ultra-gory French horror films of the 2000s, Frontière(s), he embarked on a Hollywood adaptation of the video game Hit Man with Timothy Olyphant, which racked up more than $100 million at the box office. His subsequent films, from the German-Canadian-American The Divide to the French Farang, and the stylish Franco-Spanish Cold Skin, have often been international co-productions.
His latest effort, the Franco-Belgian Sous la Seine, was a huge hit on Netflix, despite a sometimes hostile reception in France (but not in the United States). As a sequel is being prepared, under the direction of Alexandre Aja, Gens is already reuniting American actors for the science-fiction film Homewrecker.
Under the Seine: The Apocalypse
Deadline has revealed a bit more about the cast of this film that the producers have tied to 10 Cloverfield Lane. Simu Liu, best known for his role as Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which he reprises in the imminent Avengers: Doomsday, will be part of it. He will join Anaïs Parello, a French actress who broke through in Sous la Seine for those who don’t watch much TV.
The two newcomers join Allison Williams (Get Out, Girls, M3GAN) and Michelle Randolph (1923, Landman, Scream 7). The screenplay by Elisa Bell (a prolific TV movie writer) and Travis Gordon is described as follows:
« À la suite d’une révélation familiale bouleversante, trois Américains frappés par le destin se retrouvent soudainement contraints d’unir leurs forces pour survivre à un phénomène mondial terrifiant et inexpliqué qui menace de détruire le monde tel qu’ils le connaissent. »
So the three Americans in question are likely Liu, Williams, and Randolph. The question remains what a Frenchwoman is doing in the mix, especially since filming will begin on July 15 in the land of cheese. No release window has been announced. As for Sous la Seine 2, it’s slated for sometime in 2027 (lol), on Netflix, of course.
