Forward of what’s turning out as a must-attend Work in Progress session on the Annecy Animation Movie Pageant, Academy Award-nominated French animation powerhouse Xilam Movies has shared main updates on its upcoming adult-targeted psychological thriller “The Wolf”, confirming as effectively that the movie is greenlit, beginning manufacturing quickly with an anticipated April 2027 supply.
An animated function adaptation of the eponymous graphic novel from best-selling writer Jean-Marc Rochette (‘Snowpiercer’), the function is co-written and directed by Benjamin Massoubre and Fursy Tessier, who beforehand collaborated on Xilam’s 2020 Academy Award-nominated function “I Lost My Body”, with Sabine Dabadie additionally serving as co-writer.
Produced by French animation veteran Marc du Pontavice, and co-produced by Lilian Eche for Bidibul Productions (Luxemburg), “The Wolf” has been picked up by Goodfellas for worldwide gross sales and ARP for theatrical distribution in France. Moreover, the worldwide platform Crunchyroll has pre-bought worldwide SVOD rights (excl. China and Japan), marking a big first step in the direction of European author-driven animation for the streamer, past French-produced anime and worldwide co-productions.
‘The Wolf’ is amongst first non-anime pickups by Crunchyroll. Courtesy of Xilam
‘The Wolf’ WIP is considered one of Annecy 2026 highlights. Courtesy of Xilam
Forward of Annecy, Xilam additionally unveiled the function’s voice forged, led by the César Award winner Roschdy Zem (“Days of Glory,” “Chocolat”) alongside Cannes Movie Pageant 2026 shared ‘Best Actress’ winner Virginie Efira (“All of A Sudden,” “Elle”).
Set within the coronary heart of the Alps, “The Wolf” follows Gaspard (Roschdy Zem), a hardened shepherd who’s haunted by the lack of his son and leads a solitary life along with his flock. When a wandering wolf threatens his fragile peace and slaughters his flock, Gaspard, blinded by rage, embarks on a deadly quest for vengeance — one that can lead him to the farthest reaches of his sorrow and guilt.
“Jean-Marc Rochette’s ‘The Wolf’ offers a rare combination of dramatic force with remarkable thematic depth,” says Marc du Pontavice, founder, and CEO at Xilam. A complexity that fits the co-directors duo completely, based on the veteran producer. “Since working together on ‘I Lost My Body,’ I’ve been continually impressed by Benjamin Massoubre and Fursy Tessier’s masterful storytelling and bold creative vision – now with ‘The Wolf,’ they’re crafting a gripping cinematic experience, while using groundbreaking techniques to blur the boundaries between animation and live-action.”
‘Lucy Lost‘ screens in the Official Competition at Annecy after Cannes’ look. Courtesy of Xilam
Past this announcement, 2026 is a a particular watershed second for Xilam Movies. The studio, based in 1999, is heading to Annecy with a wave of exercise throughout its options and sequence slate, with Cannes sweetheart title “Lucy Lost” (which is a part of the Official Competitors in Annecy), the Disney+ sequence “The Doomies,” and the French premiere of its unique 2D animated sequence “Submarine Jim”.
“Annecy 2026 will mark a historic milestone for Xilam as we introduce an unprecedented slate of varied and ambitious mix of projects at Annecy,” underlines du Pontavice. “We’re thrilled to be showcasing our work across all areas of the festival’s programme and highlighting our creative strength and resilience during a time of continued industry-wide challenges. This breakthrough across both our film and TV pipelines is testament to our commitment to creating and supporting striking and original content.”
“Lucy Lost” is co-written and directed by Olivier Clert (“Klaus,” “Little Prince”), and is co-written with Helen Blakeman (“Dustbin Baby”, “Hetty Feather”). The function was produced at Xilam’s animation studio, with Goodfellas dealing with worldwide gross sales. French broadcasters Canal+ and Ciné+ OCS beforehand acquired pay-TV rights, whereas Le Pacte is ready to carry the movie in French theaters on October 28.
‘The Doomies’. Courtesy of Xilam
Following a profitable work in progress session in 2024, supernatural horror comedy sequence “The Doomies” will display within the TV Movies class. Produced by Xilam in affiliation with Disney Television Animation, the sequence is created by Rémi Zaarour, Andrès Fernandez, Henry Gifford and directed by Andrès Fernandez. Disney+ premieres the present throughout the Annecy pageant on June 26, with 22 half-hour episodes, together with a brand new short-form 4-episodes spin-off sequence.
Rounding out Xilam’s TV exercise, unique 2D sequence “Submarine Jim” is premiering in France on June 24, with the primary 26 episodes launching on Okoo, France Télévisions’ platform for youths. The sequence launched this 12 months within the UK & Eire on CBBC & iPlayer, in Switzerland on RTS and on Cartoon Community in Latin America and South East Asia. Upcoming launches additionally contains Tremendous RTL in Germany who commissioned the sequence with France Télévision, RTBF and VRT (Belgium), NPO (Netherlands), YLE (Finland), NRK (Norway) and extra.
‘Submarine Jim’ Courtesy of Xilam
A serious participant within the French animation business, Xilam employs greater than 400 people throughout its studios in Paris, Angoulême in France and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. In line with the corporate, Xilam was ranked France’s main animation studio for the 2018-2023 interval in a report by the French Nationwide Centre for Cinema and Animation (CNC).
