Filming will soon begin for a TV series dedicated to the story of the late great Karl Lagerfeld, which has found its lead in Daniel Brühl. The six episodes will be shot between Monaco, Paris and Italy.
The mini-series is being created in collaboration with Gaumont and, according to Disney+, will detail the rise of Karl Lagerfeld through the world of 1970s Parisian high fashion. “In 1972, a 38-year-old Karl Lagerfeld aspired to become the most famous French fashion designer, at a time when Yves Saint Laurent reigned supreme. After meeting and falling in love with Jacques de Bascher, a young dandy, he found himself in competition with Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, the head of the most prestigious fashion brand around. Full of clan rivalries and ego battles, partying and decadence, tragic love affairs and magnificent friendships, this is the story of Kaiser Karl, and his frantic quest for recognition.”
The script by Isaure Pisani-Ferry is said to take inspiration from Raphaëlle Bacqué, the author of Kaiser Karl: The Life of Karl Lagerfeld, a 2019 biography.
Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy in Monaco
The exact set locations in Monaco haven’t yet been revealed, but the German-born designer’s connections to the Principality grew in his later years. He spent 10 years living at the stunning La Vigie property at the eastern end of Monaco, was a close friend of the Princely Grimaldi family and particularly Princess Caroline, redesigned the Odyssey lounge and restaurant at the Hotel Metropole, and famously staged the Rose Ball in 2013. In the photo above, he is pictured with Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene as well as Hermann Bühlbecker at the Cinema Against AIDS Gala in 2016.
According to Vogue, “The studio has promised viewers that the show will be on a grand scale, befitting its larger-than-life subject matter: there will be more than 2,200 extras, over 40 sets — encompassing meticulously recreated apartments, fashion show venues and couture houses — and 3,000 costumes dreamed up by French stalwart Pascaline Chavanne.”
Lagerfeld is an icon of the fashion world, but he is not the only great name remembered in this series. Andy Warhol will be played by Paul Spera, Marlene Dietrich by Sunnyi Melles, Paloma Picasso by Jeanne Damas, and Loulou de la Falaise by Claire Laffut.
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