One hundred seventy-eight years after publication, and following fifty subsequent television and film adaptations (67 media adaptations overall), countless cultural references, and a poorly received 2011 adaptation, The Three Musketeers is returning to the big screen.
The Three Musketeers is a French adventure written and published in 1844 by Alexandre Dumas. It follows the story of a hero named D'Artagnan, who aspires to join the Musketeers of the Guard. When rejected, D'Artagnan meets three of the era's most notorious, skilled musketeers. D'Artagnan joins the musketeers on their adventures in the 1600s French Court, often falling into situations that offer commentary on the era's social, political, and economic injustices.
The 1844 novel has had widespread historical and cultural influence, sparking dialogue and dissent in nineteenth-century French citizens and continuing to be a tale of justice in the modern age. Therefore, adaptations of this story range from historical retellings of French musketeers to regaled tales of a group of friends fighting for justice. While these retellings of The Three Musketeers might look different, they all share common themes of brotherhood, heroism, justice, equality, and adventure.
After one hundred-forty days of filming by French director Martin Bourboulon, Pathé Films, and Chapter 2, a Mediawan Company, have revealed new details about the upcoming European film The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan. Here's what we know.
The Three Musketeers: The Plot
Pathé films released this summary ahead of a fifteen-minute screening at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival:
D'Artagnan, a spirited young Gascon, is left for dead after trying to save a young woman from being kidnapped. When he arrives in Paris, he tries by all means to find his attackers. He is unaware that his quest will lead him to the heart of a real war where the future of France is at stake. Allied with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, three musketeers of the King with a dangerous temerity, D'Artagnan faces the dark machinations of the Cardinal of Richelieu. But it is when he falls madly in love with Constance Bonacieux, the Queen's confidante, that d'Artagnan truly puts himself in danger. For it is this passion that leads him into the wake of the one who becomes his mortal enemy: Milady de Winter.
The Three Musketeers: The Cast & Crew
This film stars François Civil (The Stronghold, The Wolf's Call, La Flamme), Eva Green (Casino Royale), Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, The Apartment, Elizabeth), Romain Duris (Eiffel, Heartbreaker), Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread, Corsage, Old), Pio Marmai (The Divide, Back to Burgundy), Louis Garrel (The Dreamers, The Crusade), Lyna Khoudri (The French Dispatch, Haute Couture), and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen's Gambit, See How They Run).
The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan is directed by French director Martin Bourboulon (Eiffel). Additionally, the film production crew is joined by Nicholas Bolduc, a Canadian cinematographer (Enemy, La Belle Epoque), and composer Guillaume Roussel (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Netflix's The Spy, Valerian and The City of A Thousand Planets). The films were written by Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte (What's In A Name?).
The production for the film rivals that of The Lord of the Rings or 1917 as it used an epic amount of filmmaking resources. Between The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and the early principal production of The Three Musketeers: Milady, the film used over six hundred fifty horses and over nine-thousand extras.
Production for The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan also included filming at various historic, prestigious French landmarks, including the Louvre Palace, Fort la Latte and Chantilly, the Castles of Fontainebleau, and the Citadel of St-Malo. In an interview with Variety, director Bourboulon said:
"Shooting these films in natural decors, on location, has been fantastic because it gives them a certain realism which [he’s] reinforced through the mise-en-scene that [he’s] wanted to be immersive rather than observatory."
Release Date
The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan will premiere in France and Switzerland on April 5, 2023. The second half of this Three Musketeers franchise, The Three Musketeers: Milady, will premiere on December 13, 2022.
Everything Else We Know
This is not the first time Pathé has been involved in a Three Musketeers production. They first produced The Three Musketeers in 1922, over one hundred years ago. Ardavan Safaee, the president of Pathé films, pointed this out in the Variety interview, saying:
"Producing historical frescos and epic films has always been in Pathé’s DNA and will continue being a crucial part of our strategy going forward as independent distributors need these types of event movies to lure back audiences in theaters."
Pathé has developed a reputation for both period adaptations and award-winning films. Jean-Jacques Annaud's L'Ours and Patrice Chereau's Queen Margot, two similar productions from Pathé, show a comparable scale and penchant for historical accuracy. Another notable credit to Pathé is CODA, a three-time Oscar-winning movie, ultimately winning Best Picture in 2022.
In addition to Pathé's ties to the Three Musketeers franchise and their filmmaking expertise, the production company has one other significant connection to Alexandre Dumas's story. Pathé is the only French film group still fully involved in every stage of filmmaking (exhibition, production, distribution, and sales). Essentially, this means that Pathé and all involved in this project have a calling to adapt this with more of the French cultural influence included in the original 1844 story.
In the interview with Variety, producer Dimitri Rassam explained that this film also highlights the "rich history of France during the 17th century, which is still connected to our times." He also emphasized the importance of connecting this story with France, using language, historic locations, and filmmaking techniques.
“With Jerome Seydoux and Ardavan Safaee at Pathé, we had the drive to be sincere in our approach and give those productions a true European footing to continue the tradition of epic French classics such as ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ whose authenticity, international and universal appeal transcend the issue of language."
Safaee outlined a comprehensive plan from Pathé for publication and distribution worldwide. Pathé has confirmed major European distributors (Germany's Constantin and Spain's DeAPlaneta) with intentions to lock in major distribution contracts as the film's premiere approaches. In addition to Pathé's plan for the film's release, Safaee emphasized the plan for a vigorous marketing campaign in each worldwide market.
Given the all-star casting, behind-the-scenes information, and confident plan for distribution from Pathé, all signs point to this film being an epic blockbuster.