Literary And Cultural Workshop On The Work Of Arsène Lupin With AF Chicago

Lupin fans rejoice!

Counting down the minutes until Friday and not just because I have a weekend with zero obligations ahead of me but because Netflix's gentleman thief Assane Diop ( the gorgeous brilliant Omar Sy) is back this summer for Lupin Season 2 and I will most definitely be binging all 5 new episodes Friday night.

Photo courtesy of Netflix

If you have not yet viewed the first five episodes of Season 1, Part One, then you have a few more days to get caught up . Lupin is Netflix’s most-watched French-language original series of all time, raking in a reported 70 million households in the first four weeks of release and becoming Netflix‘s most-watched title in the first quarter of 2021. Plus it’s already been secured for a third season. I do recommend watching it with the original French language (and simply turn on the subtitles) as the dubbing, at least for me, ruins the full experience of the plot and palpable energy. Plus anytime I can brush up on my French is a good thing!

Photo courtesy of Netflix

We just watched the first season again and I still just cannot get over the dreamy videography of Paris, especially in and outside of the Louvre and Rue Perrée, in the first few episodes. The show also takes you to the northern French coastal town of Étretat. That’s where the Le Clos Lupin Museum is located which was once the home of author Maurice Leblanc, the creator of Arsène Lupin's character which the series is based on. It's now a museum dedicated to the character. No clue where filming takes place for part two but from the teaser, we see Assane looking at a lone house while on the phone with Leonard, likely nearby where Raoul was taken. We can still expect to see Paris as the clock tower that Assane is looking at seems to be at the Musee d'Orsay, overlooking the river Seine.

In a time where we miss France so much….this is all just so very exquisite to me!!

(SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD)

Anyway I have been desperate to see the next chapter in the story of professional thief Assane Diop (Omar Sy), given that the first part of the series ended on a massive cliffhanger, with Assane’s son, Raoul, abducted by the dastardly Pellegrini. From the current Raoul situation to Assane’s much longer-standing feud with Pellegrini—whose false accusation of burglary against Assane’s father led to the beloved man’s death when Assane was just a kid—Part 2 has many situations to wrap up.

According to the trailer above looks like we will see the gentleman thief looking for Raoul and working to enact his revenge against Hubert Pellegrini. Unfortunately, Assane has some serious obstacles, including the fact that he is “the most wanted man in France,” according to the news report in the trailer. The official description for Lupin Part 2 gives us further detail, teasing: “Pursued by Hubert and his henchmen, Assane scrambles to find Raoul and wins an unlikely new ally as he draws up a grand plan to reveal Hubert’s crimes.”

And if you are a Lupin fan just like me…please join me this Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m CST for a super fun virtual event hosted my friends at AF Chicago. They are hosting a literary and cultural workshop on the work of Arsène Lupin and I am just so excited, I cannot even stand it! I am so ready to find out about the Arsène Lupin books and their place in the French cultural landscape! I am also excited to learn how their relevance inspired and influenced the hit Netflix series, Lupin.

It’s only $25 for non-members and $20 for Alliance Française members. One thing I do want to bring to your attention is that a membership at AF Chicago is as low as $75/year and benefits include reduced prices for events, as well as access to their online library, and discounts at their partners. So if you join a few events per year it would be very well worth it darlings!

Reserve your space for the zoom event here.

And if you need additional information please call (312) 337-1070 or email info@af-chicago.org

So do you think we can expect more disguises from the gentleman burglar. Or maybe he won't be much of a gentleman anymore in the upcoming second part?! Guess we'll have to wait and find out!!!