Disney+ unveils Becoming Karl Lagerfeld
March 12, 2024
Disney+ has announced at the Canneseries Festival press conference in France, the highly anticipated 6-episode Original drama series Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (previously Kaiser Karl), produced by Gaumont and Jour Premier, will premiere all episodes on June 7th, exclusively on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu in the US.
In 1972, Karl Lagerfeld (played by Daniel Brühl) is 38 and not yet wearing his iconic hairstyle. He is a ready-to-wear designer, unknown to the general public. While he meets and falls in love with the sultry Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), an ambitious and troubling young dandy, the most mysterious of fashion designers dares to take on his friend (and rival) Yves Saint Laurent (Arnaud Valois), a genius of haute couture backed by the redoubtable businessman Pierre Bergé (Alex Lutz).
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld plunges us into the heart of the 70s, in Paris, Monaco and Rome, to follow the formidable blossoming of this complex and iconic personality of Parisian couture, already driven by the ambition to become the Emperor of fashion. Between glamour and clashes of egos, grandiose parties and destructive passions, audiences can discover the story of Karl before Lagerfeld. It’s a story told for the first time on screen and adapted from the bestseller Kaiser Karl by Raphaëlle Bacqué (published by Albin Michel).
As well as Brühl the cast includes Théodore Pellerin, Arnaud Valois, Alex Lutz and Agnès Jaoui.
Jérôme Salle is at the helm of this major series, directing episodes 1, 2 and 6. He shares the role of executive producer with Jour Premier producer Arnaud de Crémiers. Episodes 3, 4 and 5 are directed by Audrey Estrougo. Isaure Pisani-Ferry is the creator of the series, with Jennifer Have and Raphaëlle Bacqué. Pisani-Ferry is also the series’ lead writer, co-writing all episodes with Dominique Baumard, Have and Nathalie Hertzberg.
The series also highlights the fashion and cultural personalities who rubbed shoulders with Karl Lagerfeld at the time. Jeanne Damas, fashion designer and actress, lends her features to Paloma Picasso, and singer-songwriter and model Claire Laffut to those of Loulou de La Falaise. Legendary actress Marlene Dietrich is played by Sunnyi Melles, seen in the 2022 Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness. Andy Warhol is played by Paul Spera. Rounding out the couture cast is German actress Lisa Kreuzer as Karl’s mother, Elisabeth Lagerfeld.
Music for the series has been entrusted to Evgueni and Sacha Galperine.
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld is born under the impulse of Christophe Riandee, vice CEO, production company led by Sidonie Dumas. The series is produced by Isabelle Degeorges for Gaumont and Arnaud de Crémiers for Jour Premier.
The first two episodes of the series will premiere at the Canneseries Festival.
Running through March 14, new and returning customers can subscribe to Disney+ Standard with Ads for £1.99/month for three months