“A Prophet” breakout star Tahar Rahim is set to lead the cast of controversial Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye’s upcoming project, “Bitch.”
It’s an intriguing path for Rahim, with Ye having twice been banned from making films by the Chinese government — first for the content in 2000’s “Suzhou River” and then for 2006’s “Summer Palace,” which he screened at Cannes without permission. His last project was 2009’s “Spring Fever,” a film which screened at last year’s Cannes (possibly where the two met), which bypassed the director’s film-making ban by registering as a Hong Kong/French production.
“Bitch” seems to be a new leaf in the relationship between Ye and the Chinese government though. Despite their decorated history, the French-Chinese production is an adaptation of a banned Jie Liu Falin biography which will see Rahim play Matthew, a French man who has his Chinese lover follow him to Paris setting off a intense love addiction culinating in ill-treatment, hence the title.
Shooting for will take place in Paris and Beijing in March with a 2011 Cannes debut likely to get tongues wagging. Before working with Ye, Rahim evidently has another project with French-Moroccan director Ismaël Ferroukhi where he will star in a biopic on Si Kaddour Benghabrit — the founder of the Great Mosque of Paris which was built to honour the 100,000 muslims who fought for France in World War I. The Gallic star also has a role in Kevin MacDonald’s upcoming “The Eagle Of The Ninth” alongside the likes of Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland and Mark Strong.
Undoubtedly, big things are destined for Rahim but it’s interesting to see he’s not just taking a direct path to blockbusters which could easily be arranged for him.
