French media giant Canal+ hosted a showcase at one of Paris’ biggest concert halls, L’Olympia, on Tuesday (December 16) to unveil its 2026 slate and spotlight its role as a key partner for the international film industry.
After recently unveiling a new brand campaign with the tagline “a great film is never made alone,” Saada leaned into the company’s position as “the leading partner of film creation in France” citing the group’s September announcement that it had entered negotiations to acquire a 34% stake in French cinema group UGC that would further expand its reach with a move into theatrical exhibition.
The development comes on the heels of other major overseas moves including acquiring MultiChoice Group and listing on the London Stock Exchange in December 2024.
At yesterday’s event, the company rolled out highlights from its upcoming French and international line-up. Anna Marsh, CEO of Studiocanal and chief content officer of Canal+, announced two new projects: Simon Stone’s drama Elsinore starring Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman, and Ava DuVernay’s The Heist Of Benin starring David Oyelowo.
Elsinore, based on the life of Chariots Of Fire’s Ian Charleson that tracks his final performance in Hamlet at the National Theatre, will kick off production in January while The Heist Of Benin, currently in development, reteams DuVernay and Oyelowo after 2014’s Selma in a contemporary thriller set in modern-day London that Studiocanal calls “a thriller that intertwines art, love and restitution”.
Marsh addressed the group’s global partners, citing producers, distributors, streamers and talent, and saying, “We work with everyone.”
A bevy of French talent was in attendance. Filmmaker Fred Cavaye unveiled first footage of his adaptation of Victor Hugo’s epic novel Les Misérables starring Vincent Lindon and Tahar Rahim, which is set to hit French cinemas in December 2026.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet joined Violette star Leila Bekhti to talk about the Amélie filmmaker’s upcoming adaptation of Valerie Perrin’s best-selling book Fresh Water For Flowers in which Bekhti stars as a caretaker at a cemetery in a small town whose routine is disrupted by the arrival of a local police chief.
French filmmaker Maimouna Doucouré teased her long-anticipated upcoming biopic of French dancer, singer and actor Josephine Baker, announcing that the project will shoot in 2026.
The company’s slate also includes English-language projects including Kerry Condon’s Pressure starring Brendan Fraser and Andrew Scott from Working Title, John Patton Ford’s upcoming A24 release How To Make A Killing starring Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley and Danny Boyle’s Ink.
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