With a light hand of Quentin Tarantino, the audience knows that «Alexandre Dumas was black». The movie «Dumas: The Black Devil» will tell the story of the French writer’s famous ancestor.
Ladj Ly, the Afro-French director whose feature debut «Les Miserables» won the Jury Prize at Cannes and was nominated for an «Oscar», is set to write and direct historical blockbuster «Dumas: Black Devil». Although the film’s budget has not yet been made public, it is expected to be one of the most ambitious French projects.
«I was immediately drawn to the story of Dumas, the first black general in the French army. I can’t wait to bring this story to the big screen because it will reveal a forgotten part of our history,» says Ladj Ly.
The film adapts the lesser-known story of Thomas Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie (Dumas), who was born a Caribbean slave in 1762 and made a stormy career as a French revolutionary general. The son of a nobleman, Marquis Alexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie, and an African slave, Marie-Cessette Dumas, he became the first and most decorated black French military officer and served under Napoleon Bonaparte. But despite his many exploits, which earned him the nickname «Black Devil», his role in the French Revolution has been underestimated. Napoleon even denied the general a full pension and the Legion of Honor.
«While immersing myself in the works of Alexandre Dumas, I accidentally came across the story of his father, General Dumas. I was amazed by his absolutely extraordinary life journey and very surprised that he did not become more famous.
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It was obvious that Ladj Ly would be the perfect person to bring this story to the screen,» says producer Dimitri Rassam.
General Dumas’s heroic achievements and tumultuous life inspired his son, the famous French writer Alexandre Dumas, to write his literary masterpieces «The Three Musketeers» and «The Count of Monte Cristo». Although he was not even 4 years old when his father died of stomach cancer, Alexandre Dumas cherished his heritage.
The «Dumas: Black Devil» movie will go into production in 2025. The film will star famous French and international stars.
Source: Variety