“Ad Vitam,” a new thriller on Netflix, starring Guillaume Canet

The new drama Ad Vitam on Netflix stars Guillaume Canet, a French actor, in a number of roles. The action movie is being directed by Rodolphe Lauga, who directed It’s Complicated. Filming has started in Paris. Next year, Netflix intends to broadcast the film all around the world.

Canet plays Franck Lazareff, who learns that his wife has been kidnapped by a mysterious armed organization after escaping an attempted murder. Franck is forced to face his past while trying to save her. The film also stars Nassim Lyes, Zita Hanrot, Alexis Manenti, and Stephane Caillard.

Canet produced the film Ad Vitam, while Lauga and David Corona worked together on the script. In addition to playing Asterix in Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, Guillaume Canet starred in Yvan Attal’s French thriller Breaking Point. Among the movies that Canet has directed are the 2010 dramedy Little White Lies and the 2006 criminal thriller Tell No One.

With an emphasis on action and thriller genres, Netflix is growing its original programming in France. In addition to Ad Vitam, writer-director Julien Leclercq is adapting The Wages of Fear, a 1953 French action classic, for the streaming service.