Disney+ France released the teaser trailer for the live action Lucky Luke series. The 8-episode French-language adaptation of the classic Franco-Belgian comic is set to release on Disney+ in Europe on March 23, with an international release yet to be confirmed.
One of a pantheon of beloved Franco-Belgian characters, a live action Lucky Luke has been attempted before on the big and small screen. This present iteration has been in development since 2021, with Disney+ and France Televisions grabbing a saddle on the production in 2024.
The synopsis (translated via DeepL):
“In this brand new series, Lucky Luke, the legendary lone cowboy, must help Louise, an eighteen-year-old girl who is as endearing as she is unpredictable. Together, they embark on a quest across the Wild West to find Louise’s mother, who has mysteriously disappeared… while foiling a plot that could change the course of while foiling a plot that could change the course of American history! Between duels, chases, furious headbutts and unexpected alliances with the Daltons, Billy the Kid and Calamity Jane, our unlikely duo will discover that the biggest challenge is not saving America… but working together! A thrilling adventure in which the man who shoots faster than his shadow must face the ghosts of his past and confront the origins of his legend.”
Lucky Luke is a humour strip created by Morris (Maurice De Bever) for Spirou Magazine in 1946. It features the oddball adventures of a lone cowboy in the Old West, reputed to shoot faster than his own shadow. The strip became particularly famous after its Belgian creator partnered with French comics writer René Goscinny in 1955 – just a few years before Goscinny would help found Pilote magazine and co-create Asterix. The partnership lasted through to Goscinny’s death and the comic series is still going strong. Well past eighty books, Lucky Luke is today published by Lucky Comics in France and Belgium; with writer Jul and artist Achdé the current creative team. A new Lucky Luke album is a reliably strong seller in Europe and the series is available in over 30 languages (Cinebook covers the English version).
The Lucky Luke series’ first trailer, images, and poster were released on Feburary 16, ahead of a special three-episode preview set to take place at international TV show festival Series Mania on March 22. Taking place in Lille, France and running from March 20 to 27, Series Mania is the biggest TV festival in Europe – this year it will open with Bruce Miller’s Handmaids Tale sequel series The Testaments.
Lucky Luke will star Alban Lenoir as Lucky Luke, Billie Blain as Louise, Alice Taglion as Charlie, Jérôme Niel will play Joe Dalton, Camille Chamoux as Calamity Jane, and Victor Le Blond in the role of Billy the Kid.
The eight-episode series was created by Mathieu Leblanc and Thomas Mansuy, (very) loosely based on the work of Lucky Luke creator Morris and writer René Goscinny. It will be directed by Benjamin Rocher, and written by Leblanc, Mansuy, Justine Kim Gautier, and Julie-Anna Grignon. Production companies involved are Alban Lenoir’s Homerun, Federation Studio France, Un Pour Tous Productions, and Disney+
