Yet Another 'The Count of Monte Cristo' Adaptation in the Works

Adaptations of classic novels tend to happen in batches, usually in 10-20 year cycles. Little Women, for example, gets a new version for the next generation of teenage girls every 20 years; Jane Austen's six books tend to get redone about once every ten; and A Christmas Carol seems to get a new version every December. However, as certain classics fall out of fashion, the cycles between adaptations start getting longer, like 1844's The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Once considered part of the "Great Books" canon, the last time anyone bothered with a remake was in 2002. A quarter century later, the cycle has restarted with three adaptations of Dumas' work in three years.

One can forgive viewers for failing to keep the two versions that arrived in 2024 straight. The first, technically called Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, is a French film starring Pierre Niney (the French-accented voice of Fear from Inside Out) in the leading role of Edmond Dantès and debuted in May 2024 at the Cannes Film Festival, with the producers pushing hard for English distribution despite the language barrier. The second one, a five-part miniseries, is Italian-made but filmed in English, with British actors Sam Claflin (Peaky Blinders) in the lead as Dantès and Jeremy Irons (The Hollow Crown) as Abbé Faria. The series debuted at the Rome Film Festival in October 2024, six months after the French film.

Now, there's a third adaptation, and this one looks like it might grab viewers' interest more than the first two. For one thing, it stars Bridgerton's Regé-Jean Page as Dantès, the first Black actor to land the leading role. Second, Page isn't just the lead; he's the driving force behind the project, executive producing the film, and he's made it clear this will not be a straight page-to-screen take. In the announcement of the film heading into production, Page said, "We’re so excited to be bringing The Count Of Monte Cristo to global audiences, unlocking the depths of Dumas’ work in ways not seen yet.”

However, no logline or synopsis for the new film explains how the film will bring the story into the 21st century. Instead, like the other two, the synopsis provided reads:

Alexandre Dumas penned the original classic novel, which follows a young sailor falsely accused of treason, who, after years of imprisonment, escapes and seeks revenge against those who wronged him, ultimately becoming the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo.

The French film version features Niney alongside rising French actors Anamaria Vartolomei (Mickey 17) and Vassili Schneider (Forever Young), plus Laurent Lafitte (The Little Prince), Anaïs Demoustier (Along Came Love), and Pierfrancesco Favino (Marco Polo). It was initially slated for release in France in October 2024 but ended up arriving in June 2024 to avoid a head-to-head with the miniseries. It managed a low-key American release in late December 2024 and will stream on Amazon and MGM+.

The TV series stars Claflin and Irons, plus a cast that PBS viewers will recognize, including Blake Ritson (The Gilded Age), Mikkel Følsgaard (Dicte), Karla-Simone Spence (The Confessions of Frannie Langton), Harry Taurasi (The Borgias), and Ana Girardot (The Returned). The series only debuted in its native Italy in January 2025, has not yet landed in France, and does not yet have an American distributor.

The latest film version is expected to go into production before the end of 2025 and arrive in theaters in 2026.