Irma Vep Trailer: Olivier Assayas Directs A Miniseries Remake Of His Own Film

A brand new trailer has dropped for the HBO limited series, "Irma Vep," which is a modern-day rendition of Olivier Assayas' seminal 1996 film of the same name. The HBO series is being helmed by Assayas himself, with the titular role being played by Alicia Vikander ("Ex Machina," "Tomb Raider"). Originally, the lead role was played by Maggie Cheung ("In the Mood for Love"), who remains incomparable in this breakthrough role in which she plays both Irma Vep and a version of herself.

Check out the trailer for HBO's "Irma Vep" below.

Assaya's 1996 film followed Cheung, an action-movie star who arrives in Paris to play the role of Irma Vep (an anagram of vampire!), in volatile director René Vidal's (Jean-Pierre Léaud) remake of "Les Vampires." What makes the original electrifying is Cheung's point of view as the situation unfolds, transforming into a critique of the French film industry in the '90s while offering a whirlwind, trippy escape into something special.

In Assaya's remake, Vikander plays Mira, an American film star who is in search of the next best thing in her career. Taking on the role of Irma Vep for Vidal's film, Mira has to reckon with the director's obsessive need to control every element on set (which results in full-on brawls with cast and crew) and her internal landscape as someone who harbors an "outsider's" perspective.

Like the original, the new "Irma Vep" will premiere as an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival prior to its release on the streaming service. The series is being produced with the aid of A24, and Assayas had expressed his feelings regarding the revamped project in a 2020 interview (via Collider):

"I am immensely grateful to Alicia, A24, and HBO for giving me the incredible opportunity to explore and expand 'Irma Vep' in a series format. This is a comedy that will try and catch the zeitgeist the same way the original 'Irma Vep' did, in a very different world, a very different era, that right now feels light-years away."

Apart from Vikander, the HBO limited series also primarily stars Vincent Macaigne, Jeanne Balibar, Devon Ross, Carrie Brownstein, and Fala Chen. Additional cast members include Lars Eidinger, Vincent Lacoste, Nora Hamzawi, Adria Arjona, Byron Bowers, Hippolyte Girardot, Alex Descas, and Antoine Reinartz.

Moreover, "Irma Vep" is executive produced by Assayas, Vikander, Sylvie Barthet, Daniel Delume, Ravi Nandan, Hallie Sekoff, Kevin Turen, Stuart Manashil, Sam Levinson, and Ashley Levinson.

"Irma Vep" premieres on June 6, 2022, on HBO and HBO Max.