Netflix Greenlights 'Ad Vitam Eternam' With Guillaume Canet
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- Netflix has started production on sequel 'Ad Vitam Eternam' (Latin for 'to eternal life'), with Guillaume Canet returning as former GIGN operator Franck Lazareff after surviving an assassination attempt upon his release from prison.
- The sequel's plot sends Franck into hiding with family in the mountains before French intelligence offers him a covert mission in exchange for the truth about who wants him dead.
- Ludovic Colbeau-Justin ('Néro: The Assassin') takes over directing duties from original helmer Rodolphe Lauga; the screenplay was co-written by Canet and novelist Maxime Chattam alongside David Corona, who co-wrote the first film.
- The cast adds Stéphane Caillard, Nassim Lyes, Zita Hanrot, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Sophie Marceau, and Mathieu Amalric to the returning Canet, with shooting set across Ile-de-France, Normandy, Savoie, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
- The original 'Ad Vitam' climbed to No. 9 on Netflix's most popular non-English film chart, and the sequel joins a France slate that includes 'Call My Agent: The Movie' on Sept. 10, 'Lupin' Season 4 on Oct. 23, and 'Quasimodo' starring Vincent Cassel.
Why it matters: A new director (Colbeau-Justin) and a high-wattage French ensemble led by Canet — paired with the original film's No. 9 finish on Netflix's global non-English chart — show the streamer doubling down on proven French action IP rather than greenlighting fresh concepts, while the plotted mountain-hideout-and-blackmail setup signals a grittier tonal shift from the 2025 original.
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