1973’s “The Three Musketeers” is still considered a classic, thanks in part to its all-star casting. Image: courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox via AFP Relaxnews
Streaming service Netflix has commissioned a rare modernization of favorite Alexandre Dumas novel “The Three Musketeers”, a story already subject to over 60 film and TV adaptations.
“The Three Musketeers”, a classic French tale of 17th century derring-do has been brought to screen umpteen times.
Over 60 films and TV series have followed an initial 1900s French production, with a number attracting some very high-profile names.
Among them, Gene Kelly and Vincent Price starred in a 1948 film, with 1973’s stellar roster including Charlton Heston, Faye Dunaway, Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch and Christopher Lee in its cast.
Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O’Donnell and Tim Curry all signed on for a 1993 movie while Leonardo DiCaprio starred in 1998’s “The Man in the Iron Mask”, based on one of Dumas’s follow-ups.
Animated editions have included the 1981 to 1982 Spanish-Japanese TV hit “Dogtanian and the Three Muskerhounds”, while Disney used the story as a 2004 vehicle for Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy to go the distance.
Yet, though it might seem unlikely against a backdrop of these three score films and shows, Netflix’s new take will be one of the very few that have d’Artagnan and his Royal Guard friends cut a swathe in modern times.
Not that this “Three Musketeers” will be the first modern-day setting for Dumas’s story, but it may well become the most well-received interpretation.
That is because mockbuster production house The Asylum — of the “Sharknado” and “Mega Shark” franchises — already came out with 2011’s straight to video “3 Musketeers”, in which secret service agent Alexandra D’Artagnan and three spy friends set out to save the president from assassination and prevent World War III from taking place.
It piggybacked on another 2011 Musketeers feature that leaned on Matthew Macfadyen, Orlando Bloom, Milla Jovovich, Christoph Waltz, Mads Mikkelsen and more.
Before that, “Ring of the Musketeers”, with David Hasselhoff, Cheech Marin, John Rhys-Davis and Bond girl Alison Doody as its headliners, turned its heroes into a group of motorcycle vigilantes, but likewise failed to win critical approval.
How this Netflix project will turn out is hard to say, but the streaming company is evidently happy with progress on a previous commission: in 2017, it took on “Warparty”, also written by “Musketeers” scribe and relative newcomer Harrison Query, which is to feature Tom Hardy in front of camera and helmed by his “Chopper” director Andrew Dominik (the New Zealander behind “Killing Them Softly” and “The Assassination of Jesse James”).
A director, lead actors and anticipated air date are yet to be announced for the feature. CE/JB
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