Karl Lagerfeld Drama Set for Disney+

The Walt Disney Company EMEA has commissioned a scripted series about the life of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld as a Star original for Disney+.

Titled Kaiser Karl, the six-episode series will be filmed in France and produced by Paris-based Gaumont (Lupin). It is based on the biography of the same name by Raphaëlle Bacqué, who is attached to the series alongside writers Isaure Pisani-Ferry (Vampires, Ganglands) and Jennifer Have (Unfaithful, The Red Band Society).

The story begins during the summer of 1972 and traces Lagerfeld’s quest to become the successor of Coco Chanel, who died the year prior, and the most successful French couturier at a time when Yves Saint Laurent was the biggest fashion personality. The rivalry between Lagerfeld and Pierre Bergé (Yves Saint Laurent’s partner) as well as Lagerfeld’s love story with Jacques de Bascher will be central to the series.

Jan Koeppen, president of The Walt Disney Company EMEA, said: “Disney+ has given us the opportunity to tell uniquely European stories to global audiences. We have an incredibly diverse and exciting European slate, and Kaiser Karl is indicative of the kind of stories we want to be telling. We also felt Lagerfeld’s story hasn’t really been given its due until now and can’t wait to share it with our Disney+ audience.”

Pauline Dauvin, VP of programming and original productions at The Walt Disney Company, France, added: “We were immediately seduced by the idea of an adaptation of Bacqué’s biography, which will mark the first collaboration between Disney and Gaumont on a French original show. The series shows a unique moment of transformation in the fashion industry in France in the ’70s, embodied by an icon with multiple metamorphoses, Karl Lagerfeld.”

Christophe Riandée, vice CEO of Gaumont, said: “Kaiser Karl is an icon of the century and since the beginning, Disney has been very supportive by sharing our creative vision for the show. We are thrilled to get started.”