The Cannes Film Festival announced its lineup yesterday morning and one of the more perplexing films playing out of competition will no doubt be “Aline: The Voice Of Love,” a biopic about Céline Dion. Just to make things even more authentic, the film was shot and produced in Dion’s native Quebec and her star-studded rise from child star to world icon is at the center of the story.
However, written, directed by, and starring Valérie Lemercier, the film has decided to change the name of the singer to Aline Dieu. The trailer notes that the film is “inspired” by the events of Céline Dion’s life and what we do see tackled is the controversial relationship between Dion and her much older husband/manager Rene Angélil. He started working for her when she was only 12-years old.
The film did get the blessing from the Dion estate, which also came with Lemercier having access to the singer’s treasure trove of original music. Lemercier previously directed the 2017 comedy “Marie-Francine,” which she also starred and co-wrote. “Aline” will premiere this July at the Cannes Film Festival and is aiming for a release in France on November 20.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.