Like a Prince: Ahmed Sylla stars as a boxer at the Château de Chambord on France 2

An aspiring French boxing talent forced to swap the rings for the Château de Chambord: Comme un Prince, the first feature film directed by Ali Marhyar, will be broadcast on France 2 on Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 9:10 p.m. Released in cinemas in 2024, this comedy brings together Ahmed Sylla and Mallory Wanecque for a meeting that will cast a fresh light on their two characters.

Souleyman is a boxer, a multiple-time champion tipped for Olympic glory. But a street fight breaks his hand and brutally derails his sporting ambitions. Sentenced to community service, he is sent to the Château de Chambord, far from the training rooms and the career he had imagined.

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On the ground, Souleyman meets Mélissa, a teenage girl with a genuine talent for boxing. Portrayed by Mallory Wanecque, who shot to fame thanks to Les Pires, the young woman gradually becomes for the former champion a pathway to reclaim his place in the sporting world, but their relationship will also force him to rethink his own priorities.

Our take on Comme un Prince

Ali Marhyar offers a charming comedy for his feature debut. Not without flaws—namely a somewhat predictable script—yet the film manages to sweep you along with its memorable cast, especially its supporting players.

Julia Piaton plays the events manager at the Château de Chambord, but it’s really the two Jonathans, Jonathan Cohen and Jonathan Lambert, who deliver notably absurd turns. While the humor lands, it also exposes a rigid, ossified system the characters have to navigate.

Because Comme un Prince also carries a social message. Its characters are the overlooked, the precarious, or the abandoned, forced to fight for a place in the world. That dimension adds depth to a story that keeps the accessible codes of comedy and can reach a broad audience.

Starting from boxing and set against the backdrop of Chambord, Comme un Prince brings together two worlds rarely paired, while weaving its narrative around the transmission between Souleyman and Mélissa. Released in French cinemas on January 17, 2024, Ali Marhyar's film will be on France 2 on Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 9:10 p.m.

To go further, also check out our picks of films, series and programs to watch on TV this week, our guide to releases across all platforms, and today's pick: What to watch today on streaming.

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