Andy Serkis Set to Showrun and Direct Marie Tussaud Series ‘Madame!’
The Batman star Andy Serkis is working with TF1 Group-owned Newen Studios to develop an epic period drama about the life of Marie Tussaud, the famous French artist known for her wax sculptures and Madame Tussauds wax museum.
According to Variety, Serkis is on board as showrunner and director for the series, which follows this pioneering businesswoman’s rise from obscurity to worldwide fame and recognition. The journey begins in 18th-century Paris during the age of enlightenment, the French Revolution, and the Reign of Terror before moving to England. It will show how Tussaud sacrificed everything, including her relationships (even with her own children), in the quest to cement her legacy.
“This is no straight up period drama; it is a hilariously crazy, no holds barred, anarchic, punk caper conjured from the curiously twisted mind of a fabulously post-truth executioner’s daughter!,” said Serkis (via Variety). “Marie knows one thing very clearly — if you’re going to tell your own life story, make it entertaining, even if you have to make it up, and whatever happens, cut out the boring bits.”
The series will be co-developed and distributed by Newen Connect, the distribution arm of Newen Studios, and Imaginarium Productions, the company founded by Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish. Marie Guillaumond of Felicita Films serves as producer alongside Cavendish.
Rodolphe Buet, CEO of Newen Connect, said the series “depicts a visionary heroine who shook up conventions in the 18th century and whose journey as a strong independent woman managing to build an empire resonates particularly nowadays.”
Serkis is best known for playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings franchise, as well as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot movies. His other credits include the Star Wars sequel films The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther. He most recently portrayed Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman.
Madame!, TBA
