“Lupine” has become in almost a year one of the biggest boxes on Netflix. A success and an aura that has inspired more than one, for good … and bad reasons. Thus, an Italian burglar was inspired by the character played by Omar Sy to commit his misdeeds. But not with the same success.
Lupine : the triumph of Omar Sy
Since its success in Untouchables (which allowed him to win a César), Omar Sy embarked on an international career, juggling between French and American productions. However, one could have the impression that the French actor had lost, over the years, his freshness and his spontaneity. As if, like Jean Dujardin after his Oscar for The Artist, the actor was no longer able to renew himself in his choice of project. In July 2018, however, he received a more than ambitious project: that of Lupine, inspired by the adventures of the famous gentleman burglar.
Released January 8, 2021, Lupine is a triumph for Netflix, managing to integrate the top 10 most viewed content in the history of the platform, next to Squid Game and The Bridgertons Chronicle. A rapid and striking success for the show created by George Kay.
As a reminder, Lupine follows the adventures of Assane Diop, who seeks revenge for the imprisonment and murder of his father, following a crime he did not commit. To obtain justice and make life difficult for his enemies, he will therefore be inspired by the methods of the hero of his childhood: Arsène Lupin.
Note that in addition to Omar Sy, the series has well-known actors in its cast such as Ludivine Sagnier, Clotilde Hesme, Nicole Garcia, Hervé Pierre or even Sofiane Guerrab.
Burglar slammed to the ground
The success of the series and the schemes of its protagonist have not escaped everyone. Thus The Guardian reports that, on Tuesday, October 12, an Italian burglar tried to take inspiration from Assane Diop by wanting to rob the bar of the oratory of a church in Monza. Dressed in a leather jacket similar to that of the hero of the series, the 21-year-old (whose name has not been revealed by the authorities) therefore devised a plan that was to go off without a hitch. Indeed, he waited for the church bells to ring to cover up the noise he would make when he smashed the glass door to the bar. He then seized the meager booty (21 euros + a bottle of lemonade), not without seriously cutting himself after having put his arm through the broken window.
Unfortunately, when he returns home, he finds that the injury is far too severe. He then calls for help, with a wacky version: an accident due to an assault of which he was the victim. In front of authorities who were far from being fooled, he finally confessed the truth. To give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, he even confided who had inspired him to commit this crappy heist: Assane Diop in the series Lupine. Thus, the young man would have carefully studied the different techniques of the character played by Omar Sy. But things did not go as planned.
Definitely, after the phenomenon Squid Game which inspires violent games in schools, Netflix probably did not think its flagship series would serve as a model in this way.
