Gaumont has unveiled a proper first look of German-Spanish actor Daniel Brühl as the titular iconic designer at the heart of its new Disney+ commissioned show Becoming Karl Lagerfeld.
Rush, Good Bye, Lenin! and Captain America: Civil War actor Brühl is shown sporting Lagerfeld’s trademark ponytail and black tailored suit of his later years.
Gaumont also released a first French-language trailer for the show.
The new images – which follow a silhouetted image teased by Disney+ in January – were released in unison with the announcement that the show will premiere at the Canneseries TV festival in April.
French film and TV company Gaumont produced the drama with Jour Premier for Disney+, which will launch the six-part bio-series on June 7.
Adapted from Raphaëlle Bacqué’s best-seller ‘Kaiser Karl’, the series stars follows Lagerfeld’s ascension to the top of the fashion world, kicking off in 1972 when he was an unknown ready-to-wear designer.
It charts his meeting with long-time companion, the ambitious dandy, Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin) as well as his rivalry and friendship with fellow fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent (Arnaud Valois) and the latter’s businessman backer and partner Pierre Bergé (Alex Lutz).
Actress and director Agnès Jaoui plays Gabrielle Aghion, the founder of the house of Chloé, which contributed to Lagerfeld’s success.
The storyline also features a host of other fashion and cultural personalities in Lagerfeld’s entourage including Paloma Picasso (Jeanne Damas), Andy Warhol (Paul Spera), (Marlene Dietrich (Sunnyi Melles) and Loulou de La Falaise (Claire Laffut).
Veteran German actress Lisa Kreuzer (The American Friend, The Grand Budapest Hotel) plays the designer’s mother, Elisabeth Lagerfeld.
French director and producer Jérôme Salle, better known for action and adventure pictures like Zulu, Kompromat and The Odyssey, oversaw the drama’s artistic production, with Arnaud de Crémiers at French production house Jour Premier.
Salle also directed episodes 1, 2 and 6 with Audrey Estrougo (Tout va bien, Suprêmes) directing episodes 3, 4 and 5.
The drama was co-created by Isaure Pisani-Ferry (Ganglands, Vampires), in the role of head writer, with Jennifer Have (Unfaithful, The Red Band Society) and Raphaëlle Bacqué.
The series was instigated by Christophe Riandee, deputy general director of Gaumont, which is headed by Sidonie Dumas.
The series is produced by Isabelle Degeorges for Gaumont and de Crémiers for Jour Premier.
