Steal a priceless artifact from the Louvre, avenge his father, protect good people and rob bad ones — this is the mission of the protagonist. The 2021 French TV series Lupin, presented by Netflix, is a true gift for fans of the adventurous detective.
Assane Diop, a Parisian of Senegalese origin, is a fan of Maurice Leblanc’s books about the adventures of the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. Having mastered the skill of a noble swindler who robs only the rich, the modern Lupin provides himself with an interesting life full of adventure and adrenaline.
Like his literary predecessor, Assan, played by Omar Sy, is artistic, smart, charming, and delightfully brash. In the first episode, he tries to steal Marie Antoinette’s necklace. In the following, he successfully demonstrates to us his art of reincarnation, the ability to think outside the box, stubbornness, as well as the ability to be faithful to friendship and love.
Pretty soon we learn that the hero grew up without a mother. Assan was brought up by his father — he gave the boy a book by Maurice Leblanc, which became practically a bible for him. However, the relatively stable life that a loving parent has tried to provide for an only child collapses in an instant.
Diop Sr. is accused of theft and then dies under suspicious circumstances. Assan is sent to an orphanage. But thanks to an unknown benefactor, the boy ends up in an expensive private boarding school. This explains why the migrant boy has impeccable manners, perfect literary French and the ability to be at home in almost any environment.
In the first series, Assan receives information that changes his attitude to the events of the past. Thus begins the story of his revenge. But the game that the newly-minted Lupin started is so risky that doubts arise — is the hero as dexterous and cunning as he would like?
The series began filming more than a year ago, the work was suspended due to the pandemic, but then it became possible to shoot scenes in the Louvre and in Etretat, a city on the English Channel, where the museum of the writer Maurice Leblanc is located. It is there that the dramatic scenes of the fifth series unfold. The sixth and subsequent creators of the series promise to present this summer.
The high-quality work of French filmmakers and successful casting make the series very attractive for fans of the genre. And if you like stories about Ocean’s friends, «Virtuosos» (Hustle) and other stories with tricks, secrets, chases, jewel thefts and dramatic twists, you will certainly appreciate this project.