Sartaj Singh
Mathieu Kassovitz will head to the English capital to bring his passion project to life! ‘The Big War,’ a live-action and animated hybrid film, will start filming in London, England, in January 2025. Kassovitz wrote the film along with celebrated screenwriter Caroline Thompson. The €30-million epic war film is based on the French graphic novel ‘La Bête est Morte’ by Edmond-François Calvo, who illustrated it in Nazi-occupied France. The filmmaker will voice a character himself, while other cast members have yet to be announced.
The plot revolves around World War II, with anthropomorphic animals taking center stage, corresponding to national totems. The Germans are wolves, and those preyed upon by them, such as the French, are rabbits. Germany’s Axis allies, the Italians, are seen as hyenas, while the Japanese are monkeys. Among the Allies, Americans are buffaloes, Russians are polar bears, and the British are gentlemanly bulldogs.
Kassovitz is an award-winning French actor and director known for directing the acclaimed crime drama ‘La Haine.’ The last feature film he helmed, ‘Rebellion,’ was released 13 years ago. He also directed six episodes of the well-received espionage thriller drama ‘The Bureau.’ His other directing credits include ‘Babylon A.D.,’ starring Vin Diesel, the star-studded ‘Gothika,’ and ‘The Crimson Rivers,’ featuring Jean Reno. He most recently appeared in ‘Frères’ as Patrice, Netflix’s ‘Furies’ as Driss, ‘Rachel’s Game’ as Sam Zimmerman, and ‘Visions’ as Guillaume Vasseur.
Kassovitz is an admirer of Calvo’s work and has sought to make ‘The Big War’ for nearly two decades since he bought the rights to the book. “He was a brilliant illustrator who made a series called ‘Moustache’ in the 1940s, which seemed inspired by Walt Disney while being very different and very French. He was a reference for so many illustrators in the world. ‘La Bête est Morte’ is more of a document than a graphic novel; it’s the bedside book of so many people, either historians or people who fought or lived through the war,” the filmmaker said in a statement.
Thompson is known for her work on ‘Edward Scissorhands,’ ‘The Addams Family,’ ‘City of Ember,’ and ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas.’ Her credits also include ‘Welcome to Marwen,’ ‘Corpse Bride,’ ‘Buddy,’ and ‘Black Beauty.’ Thompson praised Kassovitz as a wonderful person to work with who has nudged her back into writing with ‘The Big War.’
As he begins shooting the movie in and around London, Kassovitz will capture backdrops of real locations and setpieces before sending them to animators. Other similar projects made in London include ‘Corpse Bride,’ ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox,’ ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit,’ ‘Frankenweenie,’ ‘Peter Rabbit,’ and ‘Loving Vincent.’
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