France’s latest trip into Victor Hugo territory has unveiled its first teaser, and one thing is immediately clear: this Les Misérables isn’t bursting into song.
The first footage from director Fred Cavayé’s new adaptation swaps soaring show tunes for prison cells, sword fights and revolutionary chaos. The teaser opens with a young Jean Valjean enduring the brutal years of his imprisonment before fast-forwarding to his new life and the inevitable pursuit by Inspector Javert, played by Tahar Rahim. Vincent Lindon plays the older Valjean. Fans expecting Anne Hathaway-style ballads or Hugh Jackman belting out “Who Am I?” may be disappointed. Everyone else can relax: there’s plenty of action here, and thankfully, nobody sings.
Instead, the teaser is really a showcase for spectacle. Sweeping aerial shots of 19th-century Paris, sprawling period sets, packed streets, military formations and smoke-filled battle scenes dominate the footage, underscoring the scale of what is one of the most ambitious French productions ever mounted. More than introducing characters, the trailer is selling production value, making the case that this Les Misérables is as much historical epic as literary adaptation.
