‘Lupin’ Star Omar Sy, ‘Fast X’ Director, ‘American Honey’ Producer Launch European Studio With CAA Backing
French star Omar Sy (Lupin, The Intouchables) is joining forces with Fast X and Transporter director Louis Leterrier and producer Thomas Benski (American Honey, Gangs of London) to launch Carrousel Studios, a new European independent studio.
Billed as an “artists-first” studio, Carrousel aims to focus on elevated genre, in the film and TV, to “lean into elevated action, thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy and comedy projects,” according to a statement, by taking advantage of “myriad tax credits, subsidies, cost of production, incredible talent (in front and behind the camera) as well as other European incentives.”
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All three men are represented by CAA and CAA Media Finance set up the financing for the venture. Carrousel Studios will have offices in Paris, London, Los Angeles and Senegal.
The company name is meant to evoke a spirit of entertainment. “By definition, a carrousel’s sole purpose is to entertain, no matter where the riders come from, no matter their age or background,” the trio said in a statement. “The word carrousel is understood around the globe and associated with magical moments. Our Carrousel will have that same feel, with a modern approach to making global content in an artists-first environment.”
Sy, arguably France’s biggest star, is best known to international audiences for his hit Netflix series Lupin, which recently wrapped its third season. European audiences know him from Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano’s 2011 comedy blockbuster The Intouchables, which grossed more than $426 million worldwide (and was remade for the U.S. as 2017’s The Upside with Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston). His international credits include roles in Jurassic World Dominion, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Jeymes Samuel’s The Book of Clarence. He stars in John Woo’s upcoming remake of The Killer.
French director Leterrier cut his teeth on the Gallic Transporter action franchise and recently helmed Faxt X, which grossed more than $700 million globally. He has signed on to direct the 11th and final installment of the Fast and Furious Franchise. and his credits include The Incredible Hulk (2008), Clash of the Titans (2010), 2013’s Now You See Me and the Netflix fantasy series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), which won him an Emmy for outstanding children’s program. Leterrier has directed Sy in 2022 French Netflix film The Takedown and in episodes of Lupin.
Benski is a BAFTA, Grammy and Emmy Award-nominated producer, and the co-founder and former CEO of Pulse Film, which he sold in 2022. His credits include Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, starring Riley Keough and Shia LaBeouf, the Sky action series Gangs of London, and Riz Ahmed-starrer Mogul Mowgli.
Alongside CAA, Leterrier is also represented by Entertainment 360, LBI, Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern and UBBA in France. Sy is also represented by Agence Adéquat in France.
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