French actor Omar Sy, star of the Netflix series "Lupin," has announced that he is partnering with rival streaming platform HBO Max to develop content aimed at French-speaking Africa, France, and the United States.
"I am very happy to be partnering with HBO Max, which shares my dream of developing compelling content for audiences around the world, particularly in French-speaking Africa, France, and the United States," the 44-year-old actor wrote on Instagram, referencing articles in American magazines Variety and The Hollywood Reporter that revealed the deal.
"Omar Sy is one of the great talents of our time, and it has been captivating to see his fame grow globally after having had a successful acting career in his native France," said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, quoted by the two trade magazines.
"We are honored to be Omar's partners and look forward to accomplishing great things together in the years to come, as HBO Max continues to expand globally," she continued.
Less than a year ago, in October 2021, the French star signed a multi-year contract with Netflix to develop original content for the platform, with Omar Sy as actor and executive producer.
Neither HBO Max nor the actor initially disclosed the details of their contract on Thursday.
Already known internationally and in the United States since the success of the film "The Intouchables" (2011), Omar Sy greatly enhanced his global reputation with the series "Lupin," the first French triumph on Netflix, which presents him as a modern-day gentleman thief and has won over tens of millions of subscribers worldwide.
In early May, he returned to the platform with another hit: the film "Loin du périph'," the sequel to the police comedy "L'autre côté du périph'" (2012), in which he stars alongside Laurent Laffite.
Omar Sy was at the Cannes Film Festival last week to present Mathieu Vadepied's film Les Tirailleurs, a drama about a Senegalese father and son thrown into the hell of the trenches during World War I.
(AFP)