| The Count of Monte Cristo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Based on | The Count of Monte Cristo byAlexandre Dumas |
| Directed by | Bille August |
| Starring | Sam Claflin Jeremy Irons Ana Girardot Mikkel Boe Følsgaard Michele Riondino Nicolas Maupas Lino Guanciale Gabriella Pession Blake Ritson |
| Country of origin | France Italy |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Carlo Degli Esposti |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | France Télévisions (France) RAI (Italy) |
| Release | 15 December 2024 (2024-12-15) (Switzerland) 18 December 2024 (2024-12-18) (Sweden) 13 January 2025 (2025-01-13) (Italy) |
The Count of Monte Cristo is a 2024 English-language miniseries directed byBille August[1][2][3] and starringSam Claflin, based onAlexandre Dumas'sbook of the same name.
Unjustly accused of treason, young French sailor Edmond Dantès is imprisoned without trial in the Château d'If, a forbidding island fortress off the coast of Marseille. During years of imprisonment, a fellow prisoner, a scholarly abbot, educates Edmond in multiple subjects. Before dying, the abbot reveals where a vast treasure is hidden on a deserted island. Edmond escapes and, finding the treasure, assumes the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo. He uses his wealth to enact revenge against his betrayers.
It is produced byMediawan with Palomar inItaly and DEMD Productions inFrance, and in association with Entourage Ventures. Producer Carlo Degli Esposti, co-founder of Italian production company Palomar, says:[1]
The Count of Monte Cristo was my reading book and I always dreamed of adapting it into a movie or series
He also states that adaptations of the classics have often been criticized for being outdated, but he is convinced that the quality of the script,August's creative vision, andSam Claflin's performance in the main role will give the series a modern twist while remaining faithful to the legacy ofAlexandre Dumas' work.[1][3]
DEMD's Sébastien Pavard points out that producing the series in English allowed the producers to bring together talent fromItaly,France,Denmark, andEngland.[1] He presents the series as a story of love and betrayal and the revenge of the oppressed against the powerful. In addition, the series promises to put more emphasis on the psychological depth, emotions and motivations of the characters, presenting stronger female characters, including the young Haydee, who is not a frightened slave as in the book, but rather a courageous and autonomous woman.[1][4]
According to Élisabeth d'Arvieu, head ofMediawan Pictures, the project was initiated by Palomar, the Italian production company of the Mediawan group, and then turned to its French subsidiary DEMD Productions to make a French-Italian co-production. The series fits into the company's DNA because it is based on an emblematic and world-renowned European subject and brings together a prestigious cast. It also states:
We have done some other great series, such as Zorro as part of our partnership with Entourage, but The Count of Monte Cristo is the first one that is 100 percent Mediawan's and meets all requirements.
Speaking ofBille August's involvement, Élisabeth d'Arvieu says that he gave the series a very cinematic appeal. Beyond the budget, the fact that he recruited a director who has won both thePalme d'Or and theOscar speaks volumes about his ambition to make productions of the highest caliber.[1]
Bille August states that the relationships and complexity of human beings drew his attention to this project being timeless themes.[1]
Manuel Alduy, director of cinema and young adult and international drama at France Télévisions, stresses that the series has all the ingredients of a great international series that will delight French audiences thanks to an ambitious production by Palomar and DEMD, a formidable cast and a great director like August at the helm. He also praises the pride of collaboration withRAI, in this new co-production, marking the twelfth international series co-produced by the European Alliance.[5]
Filming began between August and December 2023 and took place at thePalais-Royal inParis.[1] Other filming locations includeTurin,Milan andMalta.[2]Jeremy Irons toldVariety that the castle used in the production in Malta is the same age as the one mentioned in Dumas' original text.[6]
In early August 2023,Digital Spy and Movieplayer.it sites revealed thatSam Claflin would play the role of Edmond Dantès, joined byAna Girardot andNicolas Maupas.[1][2]
On 11 October 2023, U.S. magazineVariety, picked up by the websiteCollider, revealed that the cast also includedMikkel Boe Følsgaard,Blake Ritson,Karla-Simone Spence,Michele Riondino,Lino Guanciale andGabriella Pession.[3][4]
The series premiered at the19th Rome Film Festival on 19 October 2024. The show premiered in Switzerland on 15 December 2024 onRTS 1, airing its first two episodes consecutively. In Sweden, the series was released online onSVT Play on 18 December 2024.[citation needed] The series was broadcast byRai 1 in Italy on 13 January 2025, and will be broadcast onFrance Televisions in France in 2025.[citation needed] The series was broadcast inLa 2 in Spain from 5 to 19 August 2025.[7][8]