The world’s most famous gentleman thief is back in Paris and is now France’s most-wanted man. Part 3 of “Lupin” bowed a week ago and took the top spot on the streamer’s Global Top 10.
“Lupin,” which garnered 11.6 million views globally within its first week, stars Omar Sy as Assane Diop, a character inspired by Arsène Lupin, a stylish thief and master of disguise portrayed in Maurice Leblanc’s original 1907 novel.
The escapist Paris-set heist comedy show has been hugely popular since it debuted in January 2021, turning Sy into a global star and bolstering sales of Leblanc’s novel nearly 100 years after the original book was published. Following the premiere of “Lupin,” as many as 140,000 copies of the book sold in France and French-speaking countries and also picked up steam in Italy, Spain, the U.S., the U.K. and Korea. Produced by Gaumont in France, “Lupin” ranks as one of Netflix’s biggest non-English TV shows, alongside “Money Heist” in Spain and “Squid Game” in South Korea.
Popular on Variety
“Lupin” creator and showrunner, George Kay, and Netflix’s VP of content series in France, Damien Couvreur, spoke to Variety about the show’s cinematic references, creative input from Sy who also serves as executive producer, the bilingual scriptwriting process from book to screen and the ways in which “Lupin” tackles racism in France through its Black protagonist.
How did you come up with the character of Assane Diop?
George Kay: I loved the whole idea of working with Omar Sy and working on an adaptation of the LeBlanc books. I was really lucky because I didn’t know the books and I didn’t have the burden of having any pressure to adapt something. I just heard the stories, looked at them, looked at the idea that [the producers] had for Omar, doing a modern version of “Lupin” in some way. And it was just inspiring to cherry pick details and things from the books and try and present a character that Omar can inhabit for the modern world.
Damien, you worked at Gaumont before — did you know Omar Sy from “Intouchables” (Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache’s smash hit comedy which Gaumont produced)?
Damien Couvreur: Yes, I worked at Gaumont and I was involved in the early development of the idea for “Lupin.” When George decided to come on board the franchise, we knew we had something in our hands. It’s challenging to tackle an IP like “Lupin,” which is a myth grounded in French culture. But we knew that if we wanted the show to be a success and to resonate in France and around the world, we needed a fresh take on the story. I remember vividly this moment when George came up with the idea that there would be two heroes in the show. One is the character that George created, Assane Diop, and then there’s the book, a kind of treasure that goes on from generation to generation. I really love the freedom and creativity that George brought to “Lupin.” He was able to be faithful to elements of the original IP, while creating a new character and expanding it into a new world.
George, how well did you know Omar Sy before you worked on this show?
Kay: I knew him a little bit from “Intouchables.” It was a hit all around the world, so I aware of that film. But I had no idea he was as famous in France as he is. And I was kind of shocked by how loved he is — but it was very clear when meeting him why he was so loved. Everyone is charmed by him, including me. It’s in the face of someone like Omar that you can project a character around the world. That’s the face and the charisma of a man who — other men want to be like that, women want to be with him. Every kid looks up to him. Every adult is happy to be in his company. And so that’s really, really rare in TV. And I guess I’m lucky to make TV in different countries, and there’s very few people like that in the world.
Why do you think Omar Sy’s performance in “Lupin” has turned him into a global star?
Kay: It’s a role that has many parts and disguises within it, and I think he always loved the idea of putting a different hat on and inhabiting different versions of himself. He gets to really play.
George, what was your reaction to the backlash in France about the fact that a Black actor was cast for the role of Lupin?
Kay: I was shocked because we don’t get that in England so much. And I was excited because I can write about that and the prejudice and hold that kind of attitude to account in a show that’s all about fun. So if there’s prejudice there, it was a weapon for us and Diop as a character in many stories that we did, and it only made us want to do that more. So we can hopefully change some people’s minds.
You mentioned the show reflects contemporary French society and addresses racism. Would you say that it’s a politically minded series?
Couvreur: I think the underlying idea was to show that there are social and racial tensions in our culture and have that weaved into the story so that it would be compelling to many people, not just in France but also across the globe. For Part 3, the idea was to have that character, who has built his superpower on invisibility, and suddenly the whole world knows him. The big challenge was to keep the fun, the authenticity and keeping it surprising enough for our audience.
It’s unusual for a British writer to pen a French-language series. What was your experience working on the scripts?
Kay: Yeah, it’s very unusual, but the scripts are written in English. The team has got great English as well. Francois Uzan, who’s the co-writer, has great English. And so we take it to a very advanced stage in English, and then it’s the question of with Francois and Nathan (Franck), the producer, of not translating it directly, but trying to discuss the tone because you can’t do a direct translation with dialogue. It relies on an art. It’s an art in itself. So the key thing is for the team to feel the spirit of the scene and the spirit of the show before it’s turned into French. If you try to kind of Google Translate, you’d be in a world of pain.
That’s why the show has this kind of British coolness!
Kay: It’s got some British in it, obviously, but it’s the best of France because we have great directors, great cast, there’s great team behind the camera who are all French.
Couvreur: Yes, it’s a real product of France, actually! So I’m proud about that.
George, where here did you pull your inspiration from?
Kay: My inspiration comes from all sorts of crazy different places in terms of heist movies, often in English, because I grew up in England and my references are from there. They can be quite comedic. If you think about comedy and heists, it’s very similar. How you structure a joke is how you structure a trick. There are hidden moments of homage and little ideas I found in old 1960s British movies and classic French films like “Rififi” (directed by Jules Dassin) and “Le Cercle Rouge” (directed by Jean-Pierre Melville), which takes place in London with a jewelry heist. I was watching that movie and thinking, “What would be the Lupin version of that? How would he steal from Place Vendome?” That’s where that story started. And it’s completely different to that film, it’s much more fun and colorful and has much more to it, but it started with a great French film director and it was an inspiration.
What can we expect from the rest of “Lupin” Part 3?
Kay: I think the big responsibility for us, for me and for Netflix and everyone in the team, is to make sure that we carry on making the show that people love so you can continue to see stunts and brilliant heists, and the fun that everyone loves. And then also the same characters, returning his family Claire (Ludivine Sagnier) his on-off partner, the mother of his son Raoul, etc. And those relationships are integral to the show’s ongoing success and ongoing chances at life because that’s what people really care about. And then Parts 1 and 2 are about a guy looking at the establishment and punching up to try and succeed and going against a villain from the establishment.
Did you consider taking “Lupin” to other iconic cities in France like “Emily in Paris,” which had the latest season take place in St. Tropez?
Kay: We had early discussions about, where could the show go? Could we go other places? But then we realized Paris is a destination for the whole world. We want people to come, and that’s actually more ambitious to keep the show in Paris. And that’s part of the DNA of the show.
Will there be a Part 4?
Kay: Obviously, we’ve work super hard on these seasons and then we got to see how the world reacts. So I would say, not to answer for Damien, but he’s got to factor that in. But when you create the dynamics amongst the characters, you set these shows up so that they can have a long life so that you’re not cornered or you don’t have a problem continuing them, because it’s harder to generate length out of a show that’s not designed to run and run. So we had very ambitious foundations for it. So it’s definitely got the scale, if it’s required.
Omar Sy is now an executive producer on “Lupin.” How involved was he in Part 3?
Kay: Yes, Omar is very smart with scripts. Of all the actors I work with, he’s one of the smartest by far. He wants to be part of the creative journey. And he’s a film actor and there’s a film culture in France as we know, more so than in England, and I think actors want to know the end of their story and they want to see the whole field. Omar is good, he spots things that I haven’t spotted and it’s annoying. But he points out, “Oh, but I wouldn’t do this because of that.” So he’s really invested in the storytelling and he was even contributing ideas to some of the characters and encouraged me and other writers to be playful. He’s a big part of the creativity on the show.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
