08/04/2024 - Blake and Mortimer will be on the big screen for the first time, in front of Cédric Nicolas-Troyan’s camera

Blake and Mortimer, the famous characters from the Belgian comics, will for the first time be the heroes in a live action film. This is the news announced by Belga Films Group, who is taking over a project begun a few years ago to adapt the comic book The Yellow "M", one of the most successful of the comic’s 30 volumes which has sold more than 20 million copies around the world and has been translated into 15 languages. 

This is also an industry event for the Belgian audiovisual sector, since Belga Films Group has so far stood out for its work in distribution. Founded in 1937, the company is the oldest independent Belgian distributor, behind successes such as 12 Years a Slave [+see also:
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The film, whose script is co-written by Jan Kounen and Jay Ferguson, is now handled by Cédric Nicolas-Troyan, a French filmmaker living in the United States and with extensive experience working with special effects. In 2016 he directed The Huntsman: Winter's War (both a prequel and a sequel to Universal’s 2012 version of Snow White) and, for Netflix, the 2021 action film Kate. He has also directed episodes of the recent Netflix series Furies.

Filming is set to begin in the autumn. Casting is underway and has been entrusted to British casting director Kate Rhodes James who lately worked on Ridley Scott’s Napoleon as well as on several successful series such as House of the Dragon, Bodyguard and Sherlock.

The Yellow "M" is set in 1953 London. We follow captain Francis Blake, a secret agent of the MI5, and Philip Mortimer, a scientist and university professor, as they find themselves embroiled in an adventure as complex as it is dangerous, in search of the mysterious M, a criminal who signs his crimes with a yellow mark and who has developed a redoutable technology that allows him to manipulate the minds of his victims. Mind control is a concept that still resonates today, according to producer Jean-Jacques Neira. Meanwhile, Belga Films Group CEO Patrick Vandenbosch, who is also producer on the project, promises a great cinematic spectacle, aimed at a general audience. Should it be successful, the film could also be the first instalment in a franchise developed over a long period of time. 

(Translated from French)