Alicia Vikander is Irma Vep in the teaser for Olivier Assayas' new series at HBO

The series makes its debut at Cannes Film Festival this week before heading to the streamer

By Gabrielle Sanchez  |  May 17, 2022 | 3:45pm
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Alicia Vikander is Irma Vep in the teaser for Olivier Assayas' new series at HBO
Alicia Vikander in Irma Vep Image: HBO

Writer-director Olivier Assayas has taken his 1996 feature Irma Vep and transformed it into a series for HBO starring Alicia Vikander as Mira. Mira is a disillusioned actor who takes on the role of Irma Vep for a remake of the classic silent film Les Vampires.

From the look of the teaser, the new series bears a resemblance to the original film starring Maggie Cheung, as Mira slinks across the rooftops of Paris and through elaborate hallways in her all black bodysuit. As described by HBO, the series will also follow the actor as she deals with the feuding egos on set, and as the lines between Mira and the character Irma Vep begin to blur.

Vincent Macaigne also stars in the series as director René Vidal, with Jeanne Balibar as Zoe, Mira’s ex-assistant and ex-girlfriend. Devon Ross appears as Regina, Mira’s current assistant, as well as Lars Eidinger as Gottfried, Vincent Lacoste as Edmond Lagrange, Nora Hamzawi as Carla, Adria Arjona as Laurie, and Carrie Brownstein as Zelda.

It’s unclear why Assayas has decided to remake Irma Vep, especially considering how beloved the original film remains (zeal for the original is, in part, due to Cheung’s modest, enigmatic performance as a fictionalized version of herself). From the teaser alone, it looks like Vikander will be playing a less grounded version of the lead actor, which shifts the tone of the series entirely.

This isn’t to say, “No one can touch Maggie Cheung’s performance and remaking the film seems like a weird move,” but…. no can touch Maggie Cheug’s performance and remaking it seems like a weird move. Hopefully, the Personal Shopper and Clouds Of Sil Maria director does not disappoint and “catch[es] the zeitgeist the same way the original Irma Vep did, in a very different world, a very different era.”

The series will make its debut at Cannes Film Festival this week. Irma Vep premieres on HBO on Monday, June 6 and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

 
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