TWC Sews Up Jalil Lespert’s Yves Saint Laurent Biopic

French actor-turned-director Jalil Lespert (whose filmography behind the camera includes the unreleased in the U.S pair of 24 Measures and Headwinds) has nabbed a deal with The Weinstein Company for his bio-pic take on the rise of fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent. This will be the second time in just as many years that the Weinsteins grabbed a French film bio portrait that was simultaneously re-made in another shape or form – last year they had one of the two competing The War of the Buttons (“La Guerre des Boutons”) adaptations which had a unique duel showdown in France. We think we could Lespert’s YSL portrait around the Vogue September issue month.

Gist: Starting as a designer/assistant for Christian Dior, Saint Laurent became one of the biggest names in modern fashion. Today, his name is still synonym with exuberance and class. Nonetheless, as most other geniuses, the designer lived a turbulent life, which in turn makes him a great character to study through the cinematic medium. Lespert’s story will focus on the lifelong relationship between Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge, both their emotional liaison, as well as their business partnership. Such connection would transform his name into an empire. Harvey Weinstein, a fashion enthusiast himself, is certain that the film will live up to the designer’s stature, both as an artist and an singular individual “We feel that Jalil Lepert’s film will perfectly capture these combined elements”.

Worth Noting: The other film we’re obviously more keen in seeing is Bertrand Bonello’s (The Pornographer, House of Tolerance) take with Léa Seydoux, Jérémie Renier (as Pierre Berge) and Gaspard Ulliel as YSL. However, Lespert’s more personal take has been given the green light by Berge himself, something that could add some valuable points for further insight.

Do We Care: After Pierre Thoretton’s 2010 documentaty L’Amour Fou, which also dealt with Yves Saint Lauren’s love life, it is intriguing to see if a fictional retelling of his life can make for a meaningful experience, or profound discovery about the icon’s personality. The film will star young French actor Pierre Niney (Army of Crime, LOL) as Saint Lurent and Guillaume Gallienne (Marie Antoinette, The Concert) as Berge, neither of which have played any roles with international transcendence. Lespert will have to deliver both visually and in performance to lure the skeptics in.