The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, directed and written by Luc Besson based on the universe created by Jacques Tardi, will be available to stream in France on Disney+ from December 1, 2025. Released in theaters on April 14, 2010, this adventure feature film with touches of fantasy and crime drama stars Louise Bourgoin in the title role, alongside Gilles Lellouche and Mathieu Amalric, in a Belle Époque Paris where science, mystery, and imagination intersect.
In 1912, Adèle Blanc-Sec, a determined young journalist, does not hesitate to cross the Mediterranean to carry out her investigations, even if it means facing Egyptian tombs and recalcitrant mummies. Meanwhile, in Paris, a million-year-old pterodactyl egg mysteriously hatches at the Jardin des Plantes. The creature takes flight and plunges the capital into panic, with disturbing flyovers and spectacular incidents.
Faced with this chaos, Adèle finds herself at the center of a series of events that combine the occult, improbable experiments, and political maneuvering. Between chases, mummy resurrections, and confrontations with powerful figures, she moves forward with her dry humor, her freedom of speech, and a determination that sets her apart from traditional heroines. The film thus plays on the contrast between the retro world of the Belle Époque and the spectacular dimension of its fantastical elements.
The film adapts several albums of Jacques Tardi's comic book series, published from 1976 onwards, seeking to preserve its characters, settings, and atmosphere. Luc Besson and producer Virginie Besson-Silla involved the author from the writing stage onwards to ensure that the heroine retained her original personality, while fleshing out her emotional dimension, particularly through her relationship with her sister. Tardi was also involved in the early stages of filming for the sets and costumes, with production designer Hugues Tissandier and costume designer Olivier Bériot drawing on his graphic archives to recreate Paris and Egypt as he saw them.
The film's production design is based on a detailed reconstruction of the Belle Époque, featuring museums, Parisian apartments, and pyramids recreated in the studio, continuing Luc Besson's visual work with his regular collaborators, including director of photography Thierry Arbogast. The film won the César Award for Best Production Design, confirming the importance of its production design work. The film is part of a tradition of adventure stories influenced by Jules Verne, Fritz Lang, and serial novels, where inventions, scientific tinkering, and improbable situations coexist with a deliberately playful tone.
With its independent, sometimes abrasive but resolutely modern heroine, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec offers a world accessible to preteens and adults who love fantasy detective stories. The character, described by Louise Bourgoin as a kind of female Indiana Jones, navigates action scenes, more intimate moments, and comedic sequences, while maintaining a direct connection to the world around her. The film is primarily aimed at viewers aged 10 and up, comic book readers, and those who enjoy detective stories set in a revisited historical Paris.
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec
Film | 2010
Theatrical release: April 14, 2010
On Disney+ December 1, 2025
Adventure, Crime, Fantasy | Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes
By Luc Besson | Starring Louise Bourgoin, Gilles Lellouche, Mathieu Amalric
Nationality: France
A faithful adaptation of Tardi's spirit and cinematic appropriation, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec follows in the footsteps of other comic book stories brought to the screen, focusing on a central heroine, a Paris transformed into a fantastical playground, and a confident blend of crime, adventure, and comedy. Its arrival on Disney+ allows us to rediscover this unique offering in the French landscape, centered around a female action character who is ironic, physical, and deeply rooted in popular culture.
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