Chances are you haven’t read the autobiographical tale of the late Henri Charrière‘s experiences in the French prison system and its penal colony…but you might have seen the epic 1973 movie adaptation called Papillon and starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman in arguably their finest onscreen performances.

Naturally, in this modern age, it’s inevitable that any movie that was successful for a previous generation will be remade so that this generation of studio executives can reap the financial reward. If you don’t believe us, just look at Red Dawn and Point Break.

And so…the phenomenal Papillon is no different.

Charlie Hunnam stars as Henri “Papillon” Charrière – the role played by McQueen and Rami Malek plays Louis Dega, the role previously portrayed by Hoffman.

The trailer looks like a very modern interpretation. How the incredibly powerful sequence where Papillon spends years in solitary confinement is handled remains to be seen. In the original, it’s a long, dramatic, slow-paced section of the original, successfully relying on a less-is-more principle. It’s doubtful that strategy would work as well with today’s audience.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Based on the international best-selling autobiographic books “Papillon” and “Banco”, the film follows the epic story of Henri “Papillon” Charrière, a safecracker from the Parisian underworld who is framed for murder and condemned to life in the notorious penal colony on Devil’s Island. Determined to regain his freedom, Papillon forms an unlikely alliance with a convicted counterfeiter Louis Dega, who in exchange for protection, agrees to finance Papillon’s escape.

Papillon means ‘Butterfly’ and was Henri Charriere’s nickname due to the butterfly tattoo on his chest.

Directed by Michael Noer and adapted by Aaron Guzikoswski, Papillon also stars Yorick Van Wageningen, Roland Moller, Tommy Flanagan, and Eve Hewson. Look for it in theatres on August 24th.

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