Untitled JULIEN LECLERCQ PROJECT – Picture: Netflix
Julien Leclercq’s new action movie is a classic 50s French thriller remake. Coming to Netflix in March 2024, below is everything we know about the remake of The Wages of Fear.
Julien Leclercq is behind the new project, serving as the co-writer, producer, and director of the new feature film.
The French director has now worked on Netflix on many projects, including the action series Ganglands, which has two seasons currently streaming (no news on a third season), plus two movies in the form of 2020’s Earth and Blood and 2021’s Sentinelle.
Julien Leclerc on set of Netflix’s Sentinelle
Speaking about the new project, director Leclercq said in a statement:
“To reunite this cast for the reboot of such a film, for a worldwide broadcast with Netflix, forces me to put all my heart and guts into it. The ambition is huge.”
Hamid Hlioua is co-writing on the project and worked on Ganglands for Netflix and the Arte series Cannabis.
When is The Wages of Fear coming to Netflix?
A preliminary release date of March 29th, 2024, has been set by Netflix. As always, all release dates are subject to change.
What’s The Wages of Fear about?
As outlined, the new movie is based on the original film by Henri-Georges Clouzot, which itself is based on the eponymous novel written by Georges Arnaud and published by Éditions Julliard.
Per Film at the Lincoln Center, here’s what the original movie was about:
“In Henri-Georges Clouzot’s adaptation of the Georges Arnaud novel, four desperate men take on a seemingly doomed mission when they agree to transport trucks full of highly explosive nitroglycerin through a South American mountain route. Featuring an international quartet of acting legends including Yves Montand, The Wages of Fear is one of the greatest thrillers ever made—a raw, keyed-up cinematic excursion that puts Clouzot’s effortless command of mood and suspense on full display.”
Of course, Netflix has had recent success adapting classic war novels in the form of 2022’s All Quiet on the Western Front, which went on to scoop several Oscars.
Netflix has also released an official synopsis for the remake;
“In the middle of the desert, near a refugee camp, an oil well catches fire, directly threatening the lives of the population. Dispatching experts to the site, the company operating the well realizes that it has only one solution to avert the catastrophe: detonate the oil well with nitroglycerin within 24 hours. Against a large sum of money, a powerhouse team is then sent 800 km away to transport 200 kg of explosives in two trucks.
The team now has less than 20 hours to reach the oil well. 20 hours to traverse hostile zones controlled by armed rebels, cross minefields, and drive two trucks loaded with nitroglycerin over rough terrain! The race against the clock has begun…”
Cast for The Wages of Fear
Cast grid for Untitled Julien Leclerq Project
Four cast members were confirmed as part of the initial announcement, with many being frequent faces on Netflix.
- Franck Gastambide (Netflix’s Restless, Taxi 5, Validé)
- Alban Lenoir (Taken, Netflix’s Lost Bullet 2: Back for More, Netflix’s Big Bug)
- Ana Girardot (The Returned, Escobar: Paradise Lost)
- Sofiane Zermani (Netflix’s No Limit, Hors Saison)
Labyrinthe Films and TF1 Studio are the two production companies behind the feature, with Julien Madon & Julien Leclercq serving as producers.
Are you looking forward to the release of The Wages of Fear on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!