You're dead!
The Grand Vampire is dead!
Damn right, he's dead! He's out of the story!
Bye-bye!
You're a dead man,
see you in arbitration, motherfucker!
Go fuck yourself, scumbag!
Go fuck yourself!
Dammit!
Dammit! I'm done with this film!
Shit!
I can't stand it anymore!
I can't stand him anymore!
I hate Robert!
Shit!
In you go!
- Goodnight. - Goodnight, Daddy.
- Are they tucked in? - Yes.
You know, I'm seriously worried.
What else is new?
I guess that's just part of working with René.
You can't let him get to you.
I try, but his time, he's gone too far.
He completely lost his shit today.
As a result, Robert has left the show.
How long have you worked with René?
15 years.
Don't you think you need a break?
I have to protect him.
- From what? - Himself.
He's gone missing.
Meaning?
I even called his wife. No news.
He's ignoring my calls, and Carla's.
He may hang us out to dry.
That's an insurance issue.
Are we covered for a director who's lost his mind?
You should know, you're a lawyer.
Hopefully, knock on wood.
Is that all you got?
Want me to sugarcoat it?
No!
Hello?
Sorry for the late call. We have a small problem.
Is it René?
No, it's not René.
I'm listening.
It's Gottfried.
I knew from day one he was trouble.
So, how can I put this?
He hung himself in some sort of sex game.
What?
Is he...
He's not completely...
We're not sure... if he's completely alive.
I can't get a straight answer.
- From who? - The paramedics.
I'm at the hotel now.
I'm waiting for their prognosis.
Here comes a medic.
I'll call you back!
Excuse me sir, any news?
He's alive,
but he may have brain damage.
He might make it, but his memory
or mobility may be compromised.
Sorry, can I ask a stupid question?
It's part of my job.
Is there any chance he can shoot tomorrow?
He'll be lucky if he's alive tomorrow.
Ok...
Excuse us...
Coming through, thanks.
I'll ride with the patient.
Ok, perfect.
Ready. Lift.
Hello?
They finally left for the hospital.
I'm jumping on my scooter to follow them.
I can't tell you more than what the medic said.
Gautier's calling.
- You called him? - Of course.
- I had to. - I don't envy you. Good luck.
Call me after the scan.
I'll keep you posted.
Yes, Gautier. Thanks for calling back.
I just got your message. You seem very worried.
We have an issue.
Concerning Mira?
No, no, Mira's fine.
The problem is with a German actor.
- Gottfried. - Gottfried?
Frankly, I don't remember him.
You scared me for a moment.
So, what's going on with this German actor?
It's a sensitive situation.
He's been hospitalized.
Poor guy. An accident?
Yes, you could say that.
On set?
No, in his hotel room.
He was found in the closet.
- He had an accident in a closet? - Well...
As you probably know, when a man is hanged...
he has a spontaneous, automatic...
erection.
Actually, no, I didn't know that.
Some people use a noose
or a belt to hang themselves
from a closet rod
for the purpose of sexual arousal.
It has a name: "autoerotic asphyxiation."
"Autoerotic asphyxiation?"
He sounds deranged.
Why wasn't he on a tighter leash?
We had a PA on the case.
But apparently Gottfried
insisted on going to a "bear bar,"
for gay guys who like older, heavy men.
The PA lost him in the crowd.
I've never been to a place like that.
But I've been told that the crowd can be quite thick.
When did this happen?
We don't know. He wasn't answering his phone,
so Carla had them open the door. They found him in the closet.
- Alive? - Technically speaking, yes.
But unconscious.
No, but the prognosis is not great.
You need to call Angus, our head of production.
I'll email you his contact info.
- I'll do it first thing in the morning. - No, now.
Ok.
Not a word to anyone.
Let him handle communication with the actor's agent, family, etc.
We're in damage control mode now.
What are his chances of survival?
Poor.
It's very rare, but we do see it sometimes.
Mostly on weekends.
Saturday nights.
Or summer vacations.
Men get bored and play with their dicks.
How pathetic.
What are Gottfried's odds, 50/50?
Sometimes they come back,
sometimes they don't.
In this case, I'd say
30/70.
Maybe closer to 25/75.
Have you reached René?
Keep trying him.
I'm coming to the production office.
We can't shoot today.
No, do not call Mira!
Gautier's lawyers are contacting her agent about Gottfried.
I just hope René resurfaces before Gautier finds out.
So Angus, since we're not shooting today,
we can switch these 2 weeks on our schedule,
and shoot on Saturday.
On Fridays, Edmond Lagrange is doing a play.
He's performing in Les Fourberies de Scapin.
It's great for him. He's thrilled.
Will the crew work on a Saturday?
I know it's tricky, but given the urgency,
we'll figure it out.
So, when were you going to tell me that René's gone AWOL?
I'm sorry. Yesterday, after the blowup with Robert,
he left the set and vanished.
I've been calling him nonstop.
We have to consider replacing him.
Does he even know Gottfried attempted suicide?
We don't know... The doctor has to...
tell us more.
Let's give him some time. He always resurfaces.
I'll call his agent.
His agent isn't helpful.
Hiding this from me...
was idiotic.
Hey Angus, you good?
To be honest, not really.
Gautier will be furious when he hears about René.
- I hear you. - You're on speaker.
- Any sign of him? - No.
I made the rounds. Nothing yet.
What should we do?
Be patient. It's been less than 24 hours.
We've been very patient with your client.
You can't shoot anyway, with an actor in the ICU.
We can shuffle the schedule.
You know how it works.
Gautier is fed up with René's and his bullshit.
It's not René's fault Gottfried spun out of control.
Sorry, but he attacked Robert Danjou,
who is a fine actor and a true gentleman.
He humiliated him.
We may have a lawsuit on our hands!
That's filmmaking.
Shit happens!
No, this is chaos. We won't tolerate it anymore.
Maybe René had an accident.
We're getting nowhere.
If he doesn't surface by noon, he's fired.
- If he calls you, tell him that. - Got it.
Bye, guys.
He's hardly any help.
That's an understatement!
- Time for plan B. - Which Is?
Given René's history, I contacted Herman's agent.
Herman Ray? The Herman from "Doomsday"?
It'll just require a little finessing.
I'm really not sure Herman is the right fit.
This show is very European. It's not his style.
It could be. His movie's doing great worldwide.
"Doomsday" has nothing to do with The Vampires.
They're polar opposites. No? Is it just me?
Hello. Come in.
So?
I haven't been home since yesterday morning.
I wandered through Paris all night.
Did you tell your wife?
No, no, actually...
When I'm shooting, my wife prefers to leave town.
She takes the kids.
They usually stay with her mother.
According to her,
I'm unbearable when I shoot.
Are you?
I can't say I disagree with her.
I made a terrible mistake.
I shouldn't be doing this series.
I'm going to back out.
Hadn't you thought it all through?
Not thoroughly enough.
It could be therapeutic.
Well, it hasn't been.
Why do you say that?
Well, a few days ago
I received a visit
from Jade's ghost.
- Her ghost? - Yes.
Is she dead?
No, she's alive. But she was there.
Excuse me.
Yes?
Yes.
Could you put the envelope under the doormat?
Thanks.
Sorry.
So, 10 years later, she's still haunting you.
12 years!
- Sorry. 12. - Well...
I believed that making this long, 8-hour film,
would bring some sort of redemption.
But there is no redemption.
It's just opened up old wounds.
You've said Mira embodies the redemption.
That's true, yes.
Do you love her?
Yes.
I love her. Of course, I do.
She's a kindred spirit.
But it's something else.
No less precious than what I had with Jade.
- And she's not a ghost. - No.
She's so alive,
so full of spirit.
But you know...
ghosts have very little to do with the dead.
They're more about...
what's dead inside us.
More about...
the past that lives inside us.
All that is foreign to Mira.
She's the cure.
She cures you?
Yes. But I also want to protect her...
From my disease.
- Your disease? - Yes, yester...
Sorry.
I mean...
The thing Is...
Yesterday, I lost control again.
- What happened? - It was that actor.
I'm sorry...
that I didn't kill him.
You've described homicidal impulses,
but that was several years ago.
I assume they'd stopped.
Well, they came back.
With a vengeance.
After years of being kept at bay.
Why do you think you couldn't control your anger yesterday?
Is there a reason?
Yes. Yes.
Can you share it?
That actor
took umbrage with an abduction scene,
that was an iconic scene in Feuillade's original version.
And he called this abduction scene
a rape.
Well, abduction means taking
someone against their will.
In that sense, there's a link to rape.
Are you saying the actor was right?
No, and I'm not calling you a rapist.
I think you're anything but.
I'm just explaining the logic.
I hate him.
Sure. He's thwarting your desire.
- My desire? - Your fantasy.
Remind me who this Herman person you speak of Is?
A big director. He just did "Doomsday" with Mira.
Right, that film where Ragnar gets his balls cut off!
My wife said she liked it a lot!
But doesn't that kill the franchise?
No, it's a smart move.
Ragnar comes back as transgender.
The first trans superhero. A visionary project.
What does Mira think about Herman?
She's not thrilled, but what can we do?
René took off. She understands.
They did "Doomsday" together. They're close.
That's great news.
What did the insurers say?
They'll cover us if we vacate the set
tomorrow night as planned.
- We can't afford to keep it. - Impossible.
Herman arrives Monday. He'll be jetlagged.
He'll drop his bags at the Plaza and scout some locations.
He can't shoot until Tuesday.
The insurers need us to shoot tomorrow,
dismantle the set, and vacate the lot.
We need a director.
I spoke to Mira about it.
She suggests her assistant, Regina.
She insists she can do it.
Good.
Regina's straight out of film school.
I've seen her shorts. She's talented.
We could do worse.
She's developing a powerful feature.
I'm interested.
Give the kid a break, make Mira happy.
Then Herbert will take over on episode 7.
- Herman! - What?
His name is Herman.
The morning we shot the memorable cabaret scene,
I received a telegram from Director Feuillade which read:
"Please report to Gaumont Studios,
for the shoot of a hazardous scene.
Bring an elegant but used gown,
for it might be damaged."
I put it all in a box,
and headed to the nearby Metro station, Botzaris,
my precious dress in hand.
Yesterday you said it wasn't clear, so I drew it out for you.
That's our scene.
My partner Fernand Herrmann, who played Moreno,
awaited me on the cabaret set.
Madam Musidora...
This is the cabaret,
where I'm treating you to dinner.
Gaumont is footing the bill.
The champagne is flowing.
Have a taste.
Enjoy.
This is warm beer.
Could be worse.
No ice in the bucket either.
Manichoux, let's shoot.
Lights!
This is the message from Satanas.
He will strike at 2 a.m.
2 a.m.
Here.
Excuse me.
What are you supposed to be?
- A tango dancer. - Sit and dine instead.
Get up, get up.
Don't dine after all.
You're in a tux and white tie, it makes no sense
you'll be the waiter.
Have wardrobe drape a towel over your arm.
Very well.
I'll set the scene.
You're socialites, in high spirits.
When the dancers enter, I want everyone looking at them.
Silence, please!
Irma Vep and her lover Moreno just received word
that Satanas, the Grand Vampire,
is planning to kill them here at 2 a.m.
And listen up, everyone.
There are two categories of extras today.
The regular extras will earn the usual daily rate.
And those directly affected by the blast
will get double the rate.
If you're interested in double pay,
step now to your left.
All others to your right.
Double pay is that way.
For safety, go behind that shield while you're shooting.
I'm going behind the shield, Ferdinand.
Mr. Feuillade...
Sorry to interrupt.
I think you'll be very happy with my explosive.
A renowned pyrotechnician gave me the formula.
However, I do fear some extras may get injured in the blast.
Injuries are fine.
We're ready to shoot.
Extras, we're shooting!
Dance!
Very good.
Enter, waiter. Serve the glass of champagne.
Then pour a glass of wine
for the lone customer at the next table.
That's right.
Then serve Moreno and Irma Vep.
Serve them!
They toast.
Irma Vep drinks.
Ready...
Here comes the signal.
The set collapsed on top of us.
We thought we were dead.
I can't hear a thing!
I've gone deaf!
It's...
It's the end of my career!
For a bomb, that was some bomb.
Triple pay for all the wounded!
Don't leave a message.