Netflix Starts Production on 'Ad Vitam Eternam,' Sequel to French Action Hit 'Ad Vitam'
Netflix has begun production on Ad Vitam Eternam, the sequel to its 2025 French action thriller Ad Vitam, with Guillaume Canet back in the lead role (Variety).
The first film was a hit for Netflix France, climbing to No. 9 on the streamer's most popular non-English film chart. That performance was enough to justify a return trip to the world of Franck Lazareff, the former GIGN operator — a member of France's elite tactical police unit — whom Canet plays (Variety).
The sequel picks up directly from the ending of Ad Vitam, in which Franck was released from prison in the final scene after his wife (Deadline). According to the official synopsis, Franck survives an assassination attempt upon his release, sets out to discover who wants him dead, hides away with his family in the mountains, and is then offered a covert mission by French intelligence in exchange for the truth he is chasing (Variety).
The title itself is a signal. Ad Vitam Eternam is Latin for "to eternal life" — a fitting nod for a character who keeps surviving (Variety).
Behind the camera, there is a change. Ludovic Colbeau-Justin takes over as director, replacing Rodolphe Lauga, who helmed the first film. The screenplay comes from Canet himself, writing alongside French novelist Maxime Chattam, with David Corona — who co-wrote the original script — collaborating (Variety).
The cast surrounding Canet is steeped in French cinema. Stéphane Caillard, Nassim Lyes, Zita Hanrot and Nicolas Duvauchelle all return to the fold, joined by Sophie Marceau and Mathieu Amalric — two of the most recognisable faces in French film (Variety).
Canet produces alongside Jean Cottin through their company Cabanes Productions. The shoot will move across four French regions: Ile-de-France, Normandy, Savoie and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, stretching from the Paris area to the Alps and the Mediterranean coast (Variety).
For Netflix, the project is another signal that the streamer's French-language slate — built on homegrown genre films that travel well beyond France — remains a core part of its global strategy. No release date has been announced.
