Céline Dion Movie ‘The Power Of Love’ Launched By Gaumont, Valérie Lemercier To Star & Direct

French actress and director Valérie Lemercier (Avenue Montaigne) is set to star in ambitious European biopic The Power Of Love (Famous) based on the life of Céline Dion. According to producers, the big-budget (around €23M) French-language project has buy in from Canadian star Dion and will feature her songs.

The film will retrace Dion’s life from the 1960’s to the present day and her relationship with her manager and late husband, René Angélil. The last of 14 children, the Canadian singer became a global superstar in the 1990s, selling more than 200M records, including hit singles The Power Of Love, Think Twice and the iconic theme song to Titanic.

Two-time César winner Lemercier will star as a character based on Dion (but won’t sing her songs). She will also direct the project, which is based on her script. Shoot is due to get underway in France this spring. Sylvain Marcel (Mensonges) will play Angélil.

French producer Edouard Weil, whose credits include Gaspar Noé’s Climax and Love, and Bertrand Bonello’s Nocturama, will produce in association with Laurent Zeitoun (Intouchables) and Caramel Films (Ballerina).

French studio Gaumont is behind the film and will introduce it to buyers at this year’s EFM in Berlin. Gaumont will also distribute in France in 2020.