Two biopics or nothing. This is exactly what is needed to tell the story of Johnny Hallyday, the most popular French singer whose repertoire still resonates, as today we celebrate the seventh anniversary of his death. Thus, two parallel projects were set up. On the one hand, an official biopic since it is supervised by Laeticia Hallyday, directed by Cédric Jimenez (“Bac Nord”) and which will feature the phenomenon Raphaël Quenard (“Yannick”, “L'amour ouf”) in the role of Taulier . On the other, the unofficial film “That I love you”, with Matthias Schoenaerts in front of the camera, and Jalil Lespert (the ex-companion of… Laeticia Hallyday!) in the direction, centered on the relationship between Johnny and Laeticia and which was to address darker themes such as drugs, alcohol or his financial problems. A second feature film which promises to be more raw but which ultimately will never see the light of day.
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Raphaël Quenard soon in the shoes of Johnny
It is Laura Smet who reveals this in an interview given in the new issue of Paris Match this Thursday. In a simple sentence, the daughter of Johnny Hallyday therefore confirms the bad news: “ There is only one left, Jalil Lespert's film will not be made “. And the actress added: “ There is only that of Cédric Jimenez with Raphaël Quenard, who called me to discuss it “. It is therefore through the face and the recognizable voice of Raphaël Quenard that the public will discover on the big screen the story of the legendary rocker behind the hits “Noir, c’est noir” or “Lighter the fire”. Regarding the rather unexpected choice of this actor, Laeticia Hallyday also explained to Paris Match : « I was amazed by his acting, his looks, his way of occupying space, of speaking, his spontaneity, his almost animal charisma… I said to myself that if an actor could play Johnny in the cinema, it would be was he ».
As for the Caesar-winning actor who will play the rocker, he says he immediately accepted the challenge: “ For me Johnny, it is the paroxysm of artistic purity and an unfiltered relationship between an artist and his audience. What he embodies is titanic. [Je vais l’incarner] from 0 to 74 years old “. And producer Hugo Sélignac confirms that it is indeed Raphaël Quenard who will sing the hits of the late rocker: “ He's going to sing! I hope he will have the same demands as Tahar Rahim for “Monsieur Aznavour”, but he will sing! “. Release planned for 2027, for the ten years since the death of Johnny Hallyday !
