Marcel Marceau’s family disavows Jesse Eisenberg film

Relatives of late mime artist Marcel Marceau have distanced themselves from a new biopic starring Jesse Eisenberg.
Jonathan Jakubowicz’s Resistance will focus on Marceau’s life before he became famous, showing how the Jewish star, best known for his Bip the Clown character, helped the French Resistance during World War II, when his home country was under Nazi rule.
Marceau, who passed away in 2007 at the age of 84, first used mime as a way to keep Jewish children quiet while he helped them escape to Switzerland.
Last year (17), it was reported Marcel’s oldest son Baptiste Marceau was on board as an executive producer, but members of his family have now issued a statement insisting they are “in no way associated with the production”.
“(The project was erroneously) reported in the press and on social media as the true story of Marcel Marceau and the French Resistance,” the statement continues. “(Baptiste Marceau) was wrongly cited as an associate producer, although he and the rest of his family have in no way agreed to participate in the production of this American film.”
According to Variety, the family is working with officials at French company Aeternam Films to develop their own movie.
“The life of the artist cannot be summed up into one period, even one as important as his time in the French Resistance,” the statement adds. “(Our film will explore) all the different periods and dimensions of (Marceau)’s life.”
Meanwhile, Resistance began shooting in Prague, in the Czech Republic, in September (18). The film is set to be released in 2019.