Vincent Cassel to Headline Netflix's ‘Quasimodo’

In America, The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been co-opted by the Walt Disney Company, which adapted Victor Hugo's enormous tome-sized novel into one of its standard-issue animated musicals in the mid-1990s. (One that has not yet been chosen for a live-action remake, small mercies.) However, the Disney Princessing of Esmarelda aside, outside of the U.S., the story is still mainly viewed on par with Les Misérables, a timeless classic from one of France's greatest writers, based on real history and therefore accorded a higher level of respect. Netflix is now about to put some of that respect back on Hugo's name with its new film, Quasimodo.

This is an interesting move by the streaming service, which has struggled to make inroads in France, particularly on the movie side. The French Film Industry (rightly) recognized that the company's ultimate aim is to undermine the theatrical experience, and had lawmakers there saddling Netflix with insanely long exclusivity periods before anything could stream on it.

However, with the recent deal with Canal+, Netflix is about to expand its French language offerings to match the current levels of Spanish and Korean shows. Many of those shows will be African-produced instead of European, but it's still an opportunity for Netflix, which is far more global than it once was, to make a second first impression on French subscribers. And there's no better way to start than with a film that retells Hugo's famous novel, focusing on the real-life man who inspired it: Quasimodo, played by the Internationally Renowned French star Vincent Cassel (Liaison).

Here’s the film's logline: 

Set in Paris on the eve of the July Revolution (1830), this film reimagines the life of the man said to have inspired Victor Hugo’s iconic character, Quasimodo. As the cholera epidemic spreads through the city, he’s caught between political turmoil and an impossible love.

Vincent Cassel's casting in the titular role is currently the only confirmed part of the roster, but with plans to start filming in France in July/August 20205, the rest of the cast is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. 

Jean-François Richet (Plane) is set to direct; the script was penned by Eric Besnard (Wrath of Man), with Clément Miserez and Matthieu Warter producing. Netflix is expected to release this one in theaters, even if it's only for a brief, one-week run, in order for the film to qualify for awards season.

Quasimodo is expected to be part of Netflix's 2026 slate of international film offerings.