There is mayhem between the irreducible Gauls favorite of the French, judging by the first trailer of the spectacular adventure that Guillaume Canet has concocted for them in
Asterix and Obelix: the middle empire.
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In these first images posted online on Sunday, the harmony of the duo, camped by Guillaume Canet and Gilles Lellouche, is undermined by a newcomer Graindemaïs, embodied by the earthy hero of
La Flamme
Jonathan Coen.
Unlike the other adventures in the saga,
The Middle Empire
does not draw its story from a comic book volume by Uderzo and Gosciny.
The original scenario was entrusted to the creators of Les
Tuches,
Philippe Mechelen and Julien Hervé.
We are in 50 BC The Empress of China is imprisoned following a coup fomented by Deng Tsin Quin, a traitorous prince.
Helped by Graindemaïs, the Phoenician merchant, and by his faithful warrior Tat Han, Princess Fu-Yi, the Empress's only daughter, fled to Gaul to ask Asterix and Obelix for help.
A shoot far from easy
They accept and all these little people embark on a great adventure to China.
But Caesar (Vincent Cassel) and his powerful army, always thirsty for conquest, have also taken over the leadership of the Middle Empire… Ambitions that provoke the mockery of the divine Cleopatra (Marion Cotillard).
Expected in theaters on February 1, 2023,
Asterix and Obelix: the Middle Empire
has a titanic budget: 65 million euros.
But the filming was not easy.
Difficulties in securing funding, postponements of filming linked to the pandemic and confinements then to the weather.
The approximately 70 days of filming in China were finally canceled.
In addition to the scenes of the village, reconstituted on the former air base of Brétigny-sur-Orge, the production opted for exteriors shot in Auvergne.
Also present in the credits will be singer Angèle (Falbala), Philippe Katerine (Assurancetourix), but also Ramzy Bedia, footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, YouTubers McFly and Carlito, rapper Orelsan and Bif Flo and Oli... Not forgetting Jérôme Commandeur and Philip Katerine.