Matthias Schoenaerts to star in 'Violette'

As per Variety, the project is based on Valerie Perrin's literary sensation "Fresh Water for Flowers" ("Changer l'eau des fleurs"), which sold over 3 million copies worldwide. It will also feature Leila Bekhti, Melvil Poupaud ("Jeanne du Barry"), Anouk Grinberg ("The Innocent"), Sergio Castellitto ("Conclave") and Alban Lenoir ("Lost Bullet").

"Violette" is produced by Carlo Degli Esposti and Nicola Serra at Palomar ("Piranhas," "The Count of Monte Cristo"), and Thibault Gast and Matthias Weber at 24 25 Films ("Black Box," "Kabul"). Both companies are owned by Mediawan.

The film went on floors on May 5 for a 13-week shoot across Burgundy, the Paris region, and the South of France.

Co-written by Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant, "Violette" sees Bekhti play Violette Toussaint, a beloved cemetery caretaker whose peaceful life - filled by conversations with quirky workers and the many visitors who share their stories of love, loss, and life - is thrown off course when a mysterious stranger shows up on her doorstep compelling her to confront her troubled past filled with hidden truths. Violette comes to understand that the truth behind long-buried mysteries in her past must be uncovered if she wants to take another chance on life and, against all odds, love.