Luc Besson is one of the most prolific European filmmakers of the last decades, not only as a director but also as being producer and writer of uncountable films, many of which became classics of their genre. And although he is mostly working in the genres of action, fantasy, and science-fiction, it is not so common that his projects run in the paths of horror. But, this time, we are lucky because his newest film as a producer and director, Arthur, malédiction (2022), shows a childhood dream that becomes the biggest nightmare.
In the movie, since childhood, Alex has been a big fan of the fantasy film saga Arthur and the Minimoys. So his best friends surprise him with a special present for his 18th birthday: a trip to the abandoned country house where the saga was set. What begins as a weekend adventure, quickly turns into a deadly nightmare.
For those who don’t know, that saga is an animation trilogy directed and created by Luc Besson based on the children’s books he also wrote, consisting of Arthur and the Invisibles (2006), Arthur et la vengeance de Maltazard (2009), and Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds (2010). This new movie is considered the fourth entry in the saga, its spin-off, a standalone not sharing the continuity of the previous ones, and the first one to be a live-action film.
Barthélémy Grossmann, a filmmaker known for the action thriller 13 m² (2007), and episodes in the TV series Lascars (2012– ) and Exposed (2017–2018) is directing. Luc Besson is most popular for being behind pivotal titles like Nikita (1990), Léon: The Professional (1994), or The Fifth Element (1997), and also being the creator, writer, and producer of the sagas Taxi, Transporter, The Mechanic, and Taken, and movies like District B13 (2004), Unleashed (2005), Colombiana (2011), and 3 Days to Kill (2014).
The main cast in Arthur, malédiction (2022) is formed by Mathieu Berger, Thalia Besson, Yann Mendy, Jade Pedri, Marceau Ebersolt, Vadim Agid, Lola Andreoni, and Mikaël Halimi.
The movie had its release in France in June 2022, followed by several other territories, distributed by EuropaCorp, Besson’s banner. Now, it’s coming out on digital on February 3, 2023, by Dark Sky Films.
Watch the official trailer for Arthur, malédiction (2022) here.
