1996s “Irma Vep” saw Olivier Assayas contribute to a rich tapestry of meta cinema stretching back to Federico Fellini’s 1963 masterpiece “8½.” Itself drawing upon François Truffaut’s metafictional “Day For Night” as a direct source, the film followed René Vidal, an over-the-hill film director whose recent output has descended into alienating pseudo-intellectualism, and his attempt to remake the classic French film serial, “Les Vampires.” Introducing veteran of Hong Kong cinema, Maggie Cheung, to a western audience, playing herself as an actress cast in the fictional director’s film as Irma (keeping up?), Assayas’ film contemplated the nature of the creative process, using its verité aesthetic to capture the mania of a film set while also providing a broader meditation on the state of modern French cinema.
The possibility of further intertextuality is proffered by the upcoming A24 produced HBO miniseries of the same. Starring Alicia Vikander in the lead role of Mira, “Irma Vep” sees Olivier Assayas helm his first project since the 2019 Netflix production “Wasp Network.” Prior to production, Vikander said, “I am very excited for (Olivier and I) to work together, and to be a part of the expanded universe of his superb cult classic,” while Assayas has previously described the upcoming project as “a comedy that will try and catch the zeitgeist the same way the original “Irma Vep” did, in a very different world that feels light-years away.” Here’s the official synopsis for the miniseries;
IRMA VEP will revolve around “Mira” (Vikander) an American movie star disillusioned by her career and a recent breakup, who comes to France to star as “Irma Vep” in a remake of the French silent film classic, “Les Vampires.” Set against the backdrop of a lurid crime thriller, Mira struggles as the distinctions between herself and the character she plays begin to blur and merge. IRMA VEP reveals to us the uncertain ground that lies at the border of fiction and reality, artifice and authenticity, art and life.
As well as filling the director’s chair and lead role respectively, Assayas and Vikander also executive produce alongside Sam Levinson and Kevin Turen. “Irma Vep” will debut at the Cannes Film Festival soon and then hit HBO on June 6, 2022 and will subsequently be available to stream on HBO Max. Watch the trailer below.