Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra
Short description
Queen Cleopatra of Egypt makes a wager with Julius Caesar: her people will build a palace worthy of him in the desert within three months, proving Egypt's greatness. She entrusts the task to the architect Numérobis, who will be rewarded with gold if he succeeds and thrown to the crocodiles if he fails. Realizing he cannot manage alone, he turns to the druid Panoramix in Gaul. Astérix, Obélix and the druid travel to Egypt with their magic potion to help, while a rival architect schemes to make the project fail.
The film is directed and written by Alain Chabat, his second feature after Didier (1997) and the first of his works to follow that debut chronologically. Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu play Astérix and Obélix, with Jamel Debbouze as Numérobis, Monica Bellucci as Cleopatra, Claude Rich as Panoramix and Chabat himself as Caesar. Claude Berri produced, and the production involved a large credited cast and crew.
Released in January 2002, the film had a budget of about 50 million dollars and took roughly 111 million dollars worldwide, a strong return. It holds a 6.7 rating on IMDb from around 63,000 votes and a 7.4 on TMDB from a much smaller pool of voters. The critics' rating of 6.8 from seven reviews sits close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film was shot over 126 days.
- Filming took place in Malta, Morocco, and France.
- After filming wrapped, the beautiful costumes worn by the lead actors were sold at a charity auction to benefit a children’s protection organization.
- The meaning of some of the hieroglyphs shown in the film can be translated as follows: "If you are able to read this, you are an Egyptologist."
- At the end of the film, a character named Otis installs elevators in the palace built by Numerobis. "Otis" is the name of a well-known elevator manufacturer.
- The crocodiles in the opening scenes of the film were made of clay, stone, and wood, covered with a thick layer of plant-based paint.
- The shot of Redbeard's pirates clinging to the wreckage of a destroyed ship is a parody of Théodore Géricault's famous painting "The Raft of the Medusa."
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
