De Gaulle (2026 film)
French biopic film
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De Gaulle (French: La Bataille de Gaulle) is an upcoming two-part biographical film about Charles de Gaulle, produced by Pathé and directed by Antonin Baudry.[1] It is adapted by Baudry and Bérénice Vila from Julian Jackson's book, De Gaulle, une certaine idée de la France. The cast is led by Simon Abkarian as Charles de Gaulle and includes Niels Schneider as General Philippe Leclerc, Thierry Lhermitte and Karim Leklou.[2] The cast also includes Benoît Magimel, Anamaria Vartolomei, and Simon Russell Beale.[3]
Bérénice Vila
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| French | La Bataille de Gaulle |
| Directed by | Antonin Baudry |
| Screenplay by | Antonin Baudry Bérénice Vila |
| Based on | De Gaulle, une certaine idée de la France by Julian Jackson |
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| Music by | Volker Bertelmann |
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| Distributed by | Pathé |
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| Budget | $84.5 million (€74 million) |
The first part, subtitled Tilting Iron (French: L'Âge de fer, lit. 'The Iron Age'), will have its world premiere out of competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on 20 May,[4] followed by its theatrical release on 10 June. The second part, The Sovereign Edge (French: J'écris ton nom, lit. 'I Write Your Name'), will be released on 3 July.
Premise
A biopic of Charles de Gaulle, who rose from being a French army officer, to leading the French resistance against Nazi Germany during World War II, to becoming president of France.[5]
Cast
- Simon Abkarian as Charles de Gaulle
- Niels Schneider as Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
- Thierry Lhermitte as Henri Giraud
- Karim Leklou as Blazej
- Simon Russell Beale as Winston Churchill
- Campbell Scott as Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Benoît Magimel as Marie-Pierre Kœnig
- Félix Kysyl as Jean Moulin
- François Goeske as Klaus Barbie
- Kacey Mottet Klein as Geoffroy Chodron de Courcel
- Anamaria Vartolomei as Livia
- Pip Torrens as Bernard Montgomery
- Daniel Betts as Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Tom Mison as Anthony Eden
- Stephen Campbell Moore as Harold Macmillan
- Anthony Calf as Edward Spears
- Noémie Schmidt as Susan Travers
- Janis Ahern as Florence Conrad, founder of The Rochambelles
- Alice de Lencquesaing as Suzanne Torrès
- Loïc Corbery as René Pleven
- Pierre Aussedat as Georges Catroux
- Hugo Bariller as Professor Fernand
- Dan Kadosh as Gustavo Camerini
- Cédric Vieira as Michel Debré
- Sami Ameziane
- Christophe Kourotchkine
- Pablo Cobo
- Soufiane El Khalidy
- Tom Neal
Production
Development
A two-part film directed by Antonin Baudry about Charles de Gaulle was commissioned by Pathé in July 2021.[6]
It is written by Baudry and Bérénice Vila, and based upon British author Julian Jackson's book, De Gaulle, une certaine idée de la France. It is produced by Pathé in co-production with TF1 Films Production and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma. The film had a production budget of €74 million, becoming one of the most expensive French films of all time.[7]
Filming
Filming on the first chapter took place in the summer of 2023 with Pierre Cottereau and Giora Bejach as cinematographers. Filming on the second-part was completed by July 2024.[8] Filming locations included Place du Panthéon and Gare de l'Est and around the Hôtel de Ville station in July and August 2023, and Le Marais area of Paris in September 2023. Filming also took place in Normandy and Morocco.[9][10]
Volker Bertelmann was announced to compose the film's musical score in December 2025.[11]
Release
The first part of the film, Tilting Iron, will premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on 20 May, followed by its theatrical release on 3 June. While the second part, The Sovereign Edge, will release on 3 July.[12]