Alicia Vikander is heading to HBO to star in a limited series.
The Oscar winner will topline and executive produce Irma Vep, loosely based on French filmmaker Olivier Assayas’ 1996 movie of the same name. Assayas is also an executive producer, as is Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. Euphoria producer A24 is behind the series.
“When the opportunity arose to partner with Alicia and Olivier we jumped at the chance,” said HBO Programming executive vp Francesca Orsi. “Olivier is a master at weaving unique narratives imbued with levity and drama and Alicia is one of the most versatile, celebrated actors of our time. They have an undeniable, distinct vision for the reimagining of Olivier’s cult classic film, and we can’t wait to tell it with them.”
Related Stories
Vikander (The Danish Girl, Ex Machina) will play Mira, an American movie star who is disillusioned with her career and coming off a breakup. She travels to France to play the character Irma Vep in a remake of the classic, 1915 French film serial Les Vampires, and finds the distinction between herself and the character starting to blur.
“I have been a long-time admirer of Olivier and his work,” said Vikander. “I am very excited for us to work together, and to be a part of the expanded universe of his superb cult classic, Irma Vep. There are a lot of brilliant people coming together and I am delighted to be partnering with HBO and A24 on this special project.”
Said Assayas, “I am immensely grateful to Alicia, A24, and HBO for giving me the incredible opportunity to explore and expand Irma Vep in a series format. This is a comedy that will try and catch the zeitgeist the same way the original Irma Vep did, in a very different world, a very different era, that right now feels light years away.”
Vikander won an Oscar in 2016 for her role in The Danish Girl. Her credits also include the 2018 Tomb Raider, The Light Between Oceans and Jason Bourne. She is repped by Tavistock Wood in the U.K. and UTA.
Assayas and Vikander executive produce Irma Vep with Sylvie Barthet, Sam Levinson, Ashley Levinson, Kevin Turen through Little Lamb, and Stuart Manashil.
