Luc Besson is back in the director’s chair.
The French filmmaker, who was recently cleared of all charges in a 2018 rape case, helms upcoming drama “DogMan” which will premiere during this year’s fall festival circuit. “DogMan” is described as an incredible story of a child, bruised by life, who finds his salvation through the love of his dogs. The feature is Besson’s latest film since 2019’s “Anna.”
Caleb Landry Jones plays Douglas, a man who was abused as a child by his father and found solace in the friendship of dogs. Douglas later dresses as a woman and further explores his love of canines. Jojo T. Gibbs also stars alongside Cannes Best Actor winner Jones, who took home the prize in 2021 for “Nitram.”
Director Besson wrote “DogMan” and is producing the film under his LBP EuropaCorp banner. Paris-based Kinology will handle international market sales, with Apollo Films releasing the film in France.
Besson previously helmed “The Fifth Element,” “Léon, the Professional,” and “Valerian.” Besson was accused of assaulting actress Sand Van Roy in 2018; the case was dismissed in 2021 after an investigation, but the legal charges were officially dropped in 2023 following multiple appeals by Van Roy.
“This decision confirms the dismissal in favor of Luc Besson and confirms all the decisions of the last five years which have found him not guilty,” Besson’s attorney Thierry Marambert said in a statement to IndieWire at the time. “It therefore puts a definitive end to this procedure initiated in 2018, during which Luc Besson was systematically cleared by all the magistrates who examined the case. As a lawyer, I welcome this exemplary procedure, which has allowed the manifestation of the truth which is that Luc Besson is innocent.”
“Léon, the Professional” alum Natalie Portman called the accusations against Besson “devastating” after working with the director as a child star.
“It’s a movie that’s still beloved, and people come up to me about it more than almost anything I’ve ever made,” Portman said earlier this year of the 1994 film, “and it gave me my career, but it is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to it. So, yes, it’s complicated for me.”
“Dogman” will be released in theaters September 27 in France, followed by an international rollout. Check out the trailer below.
