The first images of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the next Asterix

The suspense ended this Sunday, in the middle of the afternoon.

After long months of waiting, Guillaume Canet has revealed the first official teaser for his next film, the long-awaited "Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom" which will be released in theaters in February 2023. An explosive trailer by 75 seconds.

A film with a bewildering cast with many stars, from Vincent Cassel as César to Marion Cotillard in the role of Cleopatra, including Gilles Lellouche (Obelix), Angèle, Ramzy Bedia, Jonathan Cohen, Jérôme Commandeur… and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

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A post shared by Zlatan Ibrahimović (@iamzlatanibrahimovic)

The Swedish footballer, who will turn 41 on October 3, appears at the very end of this teaser and steals the show from the other actors.

We see the former PSG star - and current AC Milan striker - in full action, playing with a helmet as with a ball, before smashing it over the head of an assailant.

In short, the one who was chosen for his imposing physique, his charisma and his mastery of “zlatane” combat sports.

We then see him dominate and command an entire army of Romans.

A role to its disproportion.

“We were looking for someone with presence and arrogance”

In April 2021, during an interview in the Journal du Dimanche, Guillaume Canet had explained why Zlatan appeared in the casting of his film.

“He's Caesar's favorite centurion, explained the director who will play the role of Asterix.

Initially, it was called Abribus, but we renamed it Antivirus because we are waiting for it and it is slow to arrive, like the vaccine!

This is the idea of ​​Yohan Baiada, the co-producer.

We were looking for someone with poise and arrogance.

I managed to contact him, it made him laugh.

And in addition, he did taekwondo!

»

A trailer that Zlatan quickly relayed on his social networks (55.7 million followers on Instagram and 8.5 million on Twitter) with a short message.

“Soon (

).

Long live France, ”wrote the person concerned.

A far from trivial declaration of love.

But with this showman, nothing is really by chance.

He had indeed already pronounced this sentence in May 2015, on a podium installed in the center of the Parc des Princes to celebrate the title of French champion of PSG.

This outing was a kind of reconciliation - sincere?

– with France.

Two months earlier, in March, after a lost match in Bordeaux (3-2), he had indeed castigated the many – to his liking – refereeing errors and described France as a "shitty country".

Remarks which caused a lively controversy at the time and had earned him four games of suspension at the end of the championship.

Last year, Zlatan returned to this outing during a long interview with the Milanese daily "Corriere della Sera".

“At that time, Marine Le Pen asked for my expulsion, recalled the Milan striker.

The next day, I feared the reactions in the street.

Instead the French approached me to congratulate me: Ibra, you're right, it really is a shitty country.

The love story between the goleador and Gaul was not over.

Ibrahimovic is not the first sportsman to appear in the adventures of Asterix, whether in comics (Eddy Merckx, who appears in Asterix among the Belgians, or Alain Prost as a tank pilot named "Coronavirus") or in the films (Jérôme Le Banneur, Tony Parker, Amélie Mauresmo or Vincent Moscato).

Zinédine Zidane had made an appearance in "Asterix and Cleopatra" by Alain Chabat.

A long tradition.