Pete Doherty & Charlotte Gainsbourg To Star In ‘The Confession Of A Child Of The Century’

Pete Doherty a.k.a the frontman for the rock band The Libertines, is set to star in his first feature film opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg in an adaptation of the 1836 work The Confession of a Child of the Century by Alfred de Musset. Anyone not familiar with the indie rock band may know Pete Doherty has the ex-lover of Kate Moss, a fashion model and/or a drug addict who’s found every way possible to make headlines for his misbehaviour.

The autobiographical tale by Musset tells the tale of his celebrated love affair with George Sand (the pseudonym of Baroness Amandine Aurore Lucile Dupin), which lasted from 1833 to 1835. The story which is told from his point of view has already been made into a feature film titled La Confession d’un Enfant du Siècle (Children of the Century) by director Diane Kurys.

Here is a summary of the actual book:

The Confession of a Child of The Century (1836) by Alfred de Musset is the story of Octave, a young man of means, “taken with the malady of the age” — a profound disillusionment with the world and humanity — after his mistress betrays his trust.

The single incident of infidelity serves as a catalyst that shapes the cynical mindset, following him for the greater part of his life, and imbuing with tragedy his subsequent relationships.

Pete Doherty will take the the lead of Octavian, who narrates the story, while Gainsbourg will play Brigitte, the young widow. The film will be directed by Sylvie Verheyde who directed the bittersweet coming-of-age tale Stella. The project begins filming on December 27th with shooting to take place in Paris, the Rhone-Alps and Germany.

I’m more excited to see if they actually complete the film before Mr. Doherty drives everyone nuts. Hopefully they have a good insurance plan.

Watch the trailer from the original film based on the book.