Scripted

HBO Max and France Télévisions today announced filming has just begun in Paris on ALICE, a six-part international fresco. For the first time on screen, the extraordinary life of Alice Guy Blaché — world’s first female director and one of the cinema industry’s forgotten pioneers — will be brought to audiences worldwide. Filming will continue through December across France, Belgium, and Canada.

From Paris’s Belle Époque to New-York and early Hollywood, ALICE follows the remarkable journey of a visionary artist who defied conventions and expectations as a filmmaker, entrepreneur, wife and mother. Her loves, her battles, and her relentless pursuit of recognition unfold against the birth of modern cinema.

Academy Award–nominee Bérénice Bejo (The Artist, The Past, OSS 117, Under Paris) stars as Alice alongside Thibaut Evrard (Differente, Escort Boy, No Man’s Land, Paris Police 1900) as mentor Léon Gaumont, Oscar Lesage (The Count of Monte-Cristo, The Substance, Marie-Antoinette, The Crown) as her husband and partner Herbert Blaché, Irène Jacob (Liaisons, The Affair, 3 Colors Red) as her mother, Marie, and Yannick Choirat (Under Paris, Home Jacking, A Damaged Man) as rival Charles Pathé.
The cast also includes Marc Barbé (Paris Police 1900), Steve Driesen (Case 137), Sophie Nélisse (Yellowjackets), François Arnaud (Yellowjackets, The Borgias), and Vincent Leclerc (Dumas).

Created by Tim Loane (Versailles Seasons 3, Marcella, Das Boat) and Claire Lemaréchal (currently show running OSS 117 spin-off for Canal Plus and Apple’s Drops of God season 2) co-written with André Gulluni (Rematch), ALICE is co-directed by Virginie Verrier (Marinette) and Guillaume Lonergan (Empathie). The series is coproduced by HBO Max and France Télévisions, with Wild Bunch, Palermo Production, Panache Productions & La Compagnie Cinématographique (Belgium), and Sphere Media (Canada).

“ALICE is an ambitious, long-anticipated drama, first announced four years ago,” said Manuel Alduy and Morad Koufane of France Télévisions. “It celebrates the extraordinary journey of a woman who lived many lives —a cinema pioneer, a passionate lover, a mother, and a bold entrepreneur. Her story is as cinematic as the art form she helped create and we want to finally give her the recognition she was denied for over a century."

Guillaume Le Gros, for HBO Max, added: “We are proud to partner with France Télévisions, Wild Bunch, and Palermo Production on this deeply human story that brings to light the French pioneer of world cinema long erased from history. Her strength of character, artistic vision, and fierce determination remain profoundly inspiring today. ALICE perfectly reflects our commitment to telling universal, powerful and uplifting stories — while partnering with local talent to bring them to audiences worldwide.”

“We’re thrilled to launch the first-ever scripted series on Alice Guy Blaché, the world’s first female filmmaker, » said producers Grégory Strouk (Wild Bunch) and Caroline de Jenlis (Palermo Production). “ALICE is an epic saga diving into the struggles and triumphs of an extraordinary, free-spirited woman who helped shape the birth of cinema. With a powerhouse creative team and a story as bold as it is timeless, ALICE is set to inspire and captivate audiences in France and across the globe.”