Rising star Théodore Pellerin (Nino, I’m Afraid of Beau, Becoming Karl Lagerfeld) stars opposite Félix Kissil (Misericordia) and Filippo Scotti (The Hand of God) in the bizarre palace intrigue drama À la Faveur du Roi.
This historical thriller, scheduled for production this fall, takes place in the court of Henry III (Perrin), the 16th century King of France and the son of Catherine de Medici. Henry III survived the religious wars with the support of his all-male courtiers, the so-called “mignons” (long rumored to be his mistresses).
The film, directed by Remi Giordano and co-written by Giordano with Jeanne Herry (All Your Face, In Safe Hands), centers on the tense love triangle between the king, his chief of staff Odon (Kisil), and Jean Baptiste (Scotty), a young hatter whom Odon brings to court to replace the king’s former favorite. In doing so, Odon commits a forbidden act. He falls in love with the newcomer and is forced to navigate the dangerous line between desire and loyalty.
Paris-based Yukunkun will produce alongside Montreal’s La Boîte à Fanny and Liège’s Tarantula Belgique. Le Pacte will handle French distribution and international sales, while VVS Films will oversee Canadian theatrical release.
“The heart of this story is about politics and relationships,” says Yukunkun’s Nelson Grenacia, likening the project to Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favorite and Karim Ainouz’s Firebrand.
“The focus is on intimacy, character, and destiny. The film is deeply rooted in historical reality, but it focuses on the workings of the court, where a king balances Protestantism and Catholicism, rules alongside his mother, and runs a kingdom under constant tension.”
“Henry III was a wise and extravagant man. This ruler didn’t really want to be king,” Grenacia continues. “He created many of the court etiquettes that would later be formalized under Louis XIV, and introduced small changes, such as eating with a fork. But we know surprisingly little about him. He ruled through the men around him. Married and devoted to his wife, he had no children, but relied on courtiers to exercise power. These dynamics have always existed, so this is not a strange reinterpretation of history; the film simply highlights them.”
Montrealer Theodore Pellerin, who was named one of UniFrance’s 10 People to Watch in 2026, is currently filming Tom Ford’s Cry to Heaven with Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hunter Schaefer, Colin Firth and Adele. Later this year, he will co-star with Stacey Martin and Kisir in Philippe Lesage’s “I Just Want a Great Love,” produced by Said Ben Said.
