Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has been focused on the blockbuster side of business of late, between Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and the upcoming The Meg 2: The Trench and Madame Web. One of his next projects to come out, however, will be the Christian Dior series The New Look starring Ben Mendelsohn in the lead role as the fashion icon. Ordered by Apple TV+ last year, the show will center on the careers of Dior and fellow renowned designer Coco Chanel, played by Juliette Binoche, in WWII-era Paris.While sitting down with Bonaventura for a wider interview on Rise of the Beasts, Collider's Steve Weintraub asked him for more information on what to expect from The New Look and how the series is coming together. For starters, the producer dove into the setting and time period to break down how it shapes the story. Both Dior and Chanel have a checkered history in France for their respective roles in the Nazi occupation. Chanel was a known anti-semite who directly supported the Nazis as an informant and ran in social circles with many senior officers. Dior, meanwhile, had more complicated connections as he created dresses for the wives of German officers while under the employ of Lucien Lelong.With the focus on the wartime setting, Bonaventura teased that there's more depth to the series than just exploring the fashion business. "Well, first of all, it takes place during the Nazi occupation of Paris during World War II, so it's much more than just a fashion show," he said. All the biggest names in the business will be represented, however. "I mean, obviously, we respect our fashion, but you're really getting to know Coco Chanel, you're really getting to know, obviously, Dior, but one of the extraordinary things about that time, other than the occupation and what it cost people, is that at that time in Paris are, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Givenchy… it just keeps going. The brands we know today are all sitting there at the same time."
Furthermore, the series is set to reflect the complicated nature of Dior's creative business in the presence of the Nazis. While the designer will obviously be the heart and soul of the series, his sister who was a resistance fighter will feature heavily as well with Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams taking on the role. Bonaventura sets up how the dresses Dior makes, combined with his family dynamic, combine for a very human and moral conflict about what it means to be a creative in such a difficult time:
"It is something that we didn't get to explore as much of that as possible, but we really were exploring the dynamic of what it's like to be in World War II, and what is the nature of creativity, in a way? Like, what are you willing to sacrifice to create, to live? And that's an interesting time period. So, yes, there's fashion, you see some phenomenal dresses that Dior has designed, but it's really the human story of what happened at that timeframe, and within that the fashion world takes center stage. I mean, his sister is a resistance fighter. She's just an unbelievable human. So she plays a very prominent role in the story as well, Maisie Williams."
The New Look Will Bring Plenty of Exquisite Fashion Upon Its Release
Bonaventura doesn't lack exciting projects these days, currently ramping up for the animated Transformers One and eyeing a new G.I. Joe movie, but it won't be a terribly long wait until viewers can lay eyes on the new Dior series either. He revealed The New Look is targeting the first quarter of 2024 with ten episodes lined up to tell the story of Dior and Chanel. When asked where progress currently is on the series, he revealed, "I mean, we've wrapped but we're in post." He's not lacking for exciting projects these days,
When it does arrive, one thing that's certain to be baked into the DNA of the series is some excellent fashion. The team behind the series worked closely with Dior to ensure that every dress met the level of elegance of Christian Dior's real-life work. While they couldn't exactly recreate and much less employ the original dresses he crafted in the WWII era, Bonaventura ensures that they
"I think the original clothing would be so valuable, it would be scary to do it. But Dior and we were really simpatico through the whole process. So they let us in, we actually use some of their seamstresses. So we were using the actual patterns and the seamstresses, and how it was created. We recreated them, in a sense, but we did it with Dior, with the people who know how to do it, with the fabulous designer, but it is very true to what he created. Some of it is a little simpler because some of those dresses take, you know, I don't know, 1000 hours to make, right? So we didn't have quite that luxury. And they have done some recreations themselves, Dior, and we were able to use those."
One party certain to be excited about this series is Dior. Other fashion icons like Gucci, Versace, and Ferragamo have gotten their moment in the spotlight in recent years in one way or another, but Dior will get to make its mark with a high-profile showing complete with a strong creative at the helm in Bloodline's Todd A. Kessler. That doesn't mean you can expect to see new tie-in clothing at the local Dior store. Bonaventura says that would likely require a strong audience reception to make that a reality, but the real focus of the series is to give Dior's history the same respect that everyone who worked with the fashion icon still has for him:
"No, I don't think so. There may come a time that, if people respond that way, you could do that. But you know, what they are really proud of is their history and that our approach to them was, 'We're going to treat it with the respect it deserves.' And we've had people who actually worked with Dior, who are really old now, but they start telling you stories. One of the great things is they all say, 'Monsieur Dior, Monsieur Dior,' they never say 'Christian' or 'Dior.' The respect that they clearly have for him, still these many years – you know, he died in ‘57, I wanna say – it's quite extraordinary, you know."
It's hard to know how audiences will take to The New Look, but Bonaventura is already encouraged by the buzz among test audiences. "But it is an interesting show, and I think what's great is, as we've shown it to audiences, as we've tested the pilot and all that, men are responding as well as women, and for different reasons because the show holds so much," he revealed. "But it's fundamentally about two great characters, and a lot of great characters around them."
Stay tuned here at Collider for more on The New Look as it comes out. In the meantime, check out what he had to say below.