Bérénice Bejo to Star in HBO Max & France Télévisions’ ALICE

HBO Max and France Télévisions have begun filming ALICE, a six-part drama about the first female director, Alice Guy Blanché, with Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) starring in the lead role.

“We are proud to partner with France Télévisions, Wild Bunch and Palermo Production on this deeply human story that brings to light the French pioneer of world cinema long erased from history,” said HBO Max’s Guillaume Le Gros. “Her strength of character, artistic vision and fierce determination remain profoundly inspiring today. ALICE perfectly reflects our commitment to telling universal, powerful and uplifting stories while partnering with local talent to bring them to audiences worldwide.”

Created by Tim Loane (Versailles season three, Marcella, Das Boot) and Claire Lemaréchal (Drops of God season two), ALICE is co-written with André Gulluni (Rematch). It is co-directed by Virginie Verrier (Marinette) and Guillaume Lonergan (Empathie). It is being co-produced by HBO Max and France Télévisions, with Wild Bunch, Palermo Production, Panache Productions, La Compagnie Cinématographique and Sphere Media.

Starring alongside Bejo are Thibaut Evrard (Differente, Escort Boy, No Man’s Land, Paris Police 1900), Oscar Lesage (The Count of Monte-Cristo, The Substance, Marie-Antoinette, The Crown), Irène Jacob (Liaisons, The Affair, 3 Colors Red), Yannick Choirat (Under Paris, Home Jacking, A Damaged Man), Marc Barbé (Paris Police 1900), Steve Driesen (Case 137), Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets), François Arnaud (Yellowjackets, The Borgias) and Vincent Leclerc (Dumas).

“ALICE is an ambitious, long-anticipated drama, first announced four years ago,” said Manuel Alduy and Morad Koufane of France Télévisions. “It celebrates the extraordinary journey of a woman who lived many lives—a cinema pioneer, a passionate lover, a mother and a bold entrepreneur. Her story is as cinematic as the art form she helped create, and we want to finally give her the recognition she was denied for over a century.”

Wild Bunch’s Grégory Strouk and Palermo Production’s Caroline de Jenlis, producers of the series, added, “We’re thrilled to launch the first-ever scripted series on Alice Guy Blanché, the world’s first female filmmaker. ALICE is an epic sage diving into the struggles and triumphs of an extraordinary, free-spirited woman who helped shape the birth of cinema. With a powerhouse creative team and a story as bold as it is timeless, ALICE is set to inspire and captivate audiences in France and across the globe.”