Asterix: François Civil and Pierre Niney tipped for Jonathan Cohen’s film

François Civil could play Asterix in Jonathan Cohen’s next film, according to Le Parisien, which revealed the information on November 12, 2026. The daily newspaper reports that Gilles Lellouche will return as Obelix, a role he has already played in The Middle Kingdom. Pierre Niney is reportedly in the running to play Julius Caesar, and Laurent Lafitte could join the cast in a role that has yet to be revealed.

Albert René Editions confirmed in October that Jonathan Cohen would direct this new live-action instalment, distributed by Studiocanal. Filming is scheduled to begin in spring 2027. The names reported by Le Parisien have yet to be confirmed by the production team.

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Pre-production now hinges on recruiting extras to portray the Gauls. The casting call spans several age groups and marks the start of the new feature-length film devoted to the iconic characters created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

Jonathan Cohen already knows this world: he played Graindemaïs in Astérix et Obélix : L’Empire du Milieu, directed by Guillaume Canet. This time he will step behind the camera, after co-creating, co-directing and starring in the satirical series La Flamme and Le Flambeau.

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