Canal+ Group Unveils Prestige 2026 Slate Including Projects With Olivia Colman, Ava DuVernay, Teases ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Violette’ at American-Style Showcase The Original+

Canal+ Group, the listed pay-TV banner which owns “Paddington” producer/distributor Studiocanal, hosted a splashy American-style upfront presentation coined The Original+ at the Olympia in Paris on Tuesday.

Hosted by actor-director Thomas Ngijol, the event brought together leading industry players, including Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos who took part in a cheeky – but friendly — fireside chat with Canal+ Group CEO Maxime Saada and vowed to keep Warner Bros. movies in theaters.

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The Original+ kicked off with Studiocanal boss and Canal+ Group CCO Anna Marsh who unveiled two big English-language projects that reflect the banner’s production range: “Elsinore,” starring Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman, directed by BAFTA nominee Simon Stone (“The Dig”); and Ava DuVernay‘s “Heist of Benin,” starring David Oyelowo. The company also teased several ambitious French movies slated for a theatrical release in 2026: “Les Miserables,” a sweeping adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic with director Fred Cavayé and the ensemble cast: Vincent Lindon, Tahar Rahim, Benjamin Lavernhe, Noémie Merlant, Vassili Schneider, Marie Colomb and Megan Northam who took part in a panel discussion, followed by a teaser reveal; and “Violette,” the next film by “Amelie” director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, starring Leila Bekhti in the lead role.

Also teased at The Original+ were “Guru,” a paranoid thriller by “Black Box” director Yann Gozlan starring Pierre Niney who was on hand at the showcase, alongside Maïmouna Doucouré (“Cuties”), who will be filming her anticipated Josephine Baker biopic next year, and Jonathan Cohen, the French actor-turned-filmmaker who announced that he had been tapped to write and direct a live-action adaptation of “The Twelve Tasks of Asterix,” a popular animated series created by Goscinny and Uderzo in 1976.

On stage, Marsh said that Studiocanal invests €220 million in film and TV productions , as well as finances and distributes 80 films and about 20 series per year through a network of 200 production labels and a library of more than 9,400 titles. As Canal+ Group recently completed its acquisition of a 34-percent stake in UGC, which operates one of France’s leading cinema chains, Studiocanal intends on doubling down on theatrical in the next couple of years. Marsh revealed in a recent interview with Variety that the company is also exploring distribution operations in new territories besides France, the U.K., Germany/Austria, Poland, Spain and Australia/New Zealand.

Studiocanal saw the box office for its productions and co-productions triple between 2022 and 2024, and Marsh said the outfit will look to build on that momentum in 2026 and 2027 with upscale, theatrically-driven movies, such as “Les Miserables,” “Violette,” “Guru,” the Josephine Baker biopic and the next live-action “Asterix” movie.

Some shows slated for 2026 were also highlighted by key talent and filmmakers at The Original+, notably actor Tewfik Jallab for “Apollo Has Fallen,” a sequel to the “Has Fallen” franchise from BAFTA-winning director Howard Overman; actors Sami Bouajila and Mamadou Sidibé for “Un prophete,” a series inspired by Jacques Audiard’s Oscar-nominated film by the same name; Rahim, who besides “Les Miserables,” was also there to talk about “Prisoner,” an international series for Canal+ and Sky; and Nomzamo Mbatha, the multi-hyphenate South African star and producer who chatted about development at MultiChoice Group, which was recently fully acquired by Canal+, including “Spinners 2.”

The Original+ also brought on stage many of France’s most popular comedians who have been working closely with Canal+’s flagship pay-TV channel for decades, such as Jamel Debbouze, Florence Foresti and Paul Mirabel who are each preparing new shows.

The group, for which comedy has always been a part of its DNA, saved its most unexpected news for the end of The Original+, as it rolled a clip of SNL star Chloé Fineman announcing (in French) that “Saturday Night Live” is coming to France. Canal+ is indeed developing a French adaptation in close collaboration with the American teams. “Each episode will feature a special guest, who, surrounded by a permanent troupe of comedians, will present their own show,” said Canal+.

Before The Original+ presentation started, as guests were being welcomed by a Santa dressed in black – the Canal+ color code, Variety caught up with Rahim and Merlant about “Les Miserables.”

Rahim, who plays Javert in the epic film, said the role “was something interesting, as well as emotionally and psychologically challenging.” “What we wanted to do with Fred Cavayé was to bring something that’s never been told before. And we found a little seed in the book that we watered to bring something different and new to Javert,” he said, before adding that the film will boast a face-to-face between Javert and Valjean, played by Lindon.

The movie will also boast powerful female characters. Merlant, whose credits include “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” as well as “Lee” and “Tàr,” talked about her role as Fantine, whom she describes as “a courageous woman who handles everything alone by herself… like a lot of women, even today.” She says the film gives a “lot of power to women.”

While on stage, Lindon, who is one of France’s most revered actors with recent roles in “Titane” and “Of Money and Blood,” said playing Valjean “was the role I dreamed of playing.” “I hope you dream of seeing it, and I hope I live up to that.” The movie will be released in December 2026.

Mbatha, meanwhile, reflected on Canal+ Group’s impact in the African content through its acquisition of MultiChoice.

“It’s important to see Canal+ come to the continent… African stories will not just be hyper-local,” she said, before adding, “The incredible thing that Canal+ has said from the very beginning is that ‘We want to work with local producers, we want to work with local filmmakers, and we want to take local talent to global stages.'”

“African stories have been dying to be able to also have equal participation in the global stage,” Mbatha continued.

The Original+ wrapped on a Christmas-y note with a choir of children singing the Canal+ lineup.