Cannes, France, May 13, 2026, 22:07 (CEST)
- McKenna Grace, Paul Walter Hauser, and Louis Partridge are lined up to lead The Official Mistress, a revisionist rom-com taking place during the waning days of the French monarchy.
- North.Five.Six rolls out world sales at the Cannes market this week, as thousands of buyers and sellers size up fresh film packages.
- One major spot remains unfilled: the project hasn’t named its Marie Antoinette yet.
McKenna Grace, Paul Walter Hauser, and Louis Partridge are lined up to headline The Official Mistress—a rom-com set against late French monarchy intrigue—as North.Five.Six kicks off global sales at Cannes. Deadline put out the news Tuesday, timing it with the ramp-up to the industry’s major sales showcase.
Timing’s key here. This year, the Marché du Film—the Cannes Film Festival’s business hub for film deals—runs from May 12-20, drawing 16,000 registered participants representing over 140 countries. According to the market, the tally includes 1,700 buyers, 600 companies on the exhibitor list, and about 1,500 screenings between the festival and market.
The Official Mistress lands in a tight but workable spot—driven by its name, set in a distinct era, and pushing a rom-com angle in a space packed with genre entries, prestige fare, and titles built around marquee names. “World sales” refers to selling distribution rights beyond the producer’s own country, typically sliced up by region.
Matt Brown takes on both writing and directing duties for the film, with Hauser starring as King Louis XVI—chasing after Comtesse Madeleine de Vascone, played by Grace, hoping to make her his official mistress and put rumors about his virility to rest. Partridge is cast as Rene Rennault, a humble cook who lands the job of King’s Taster while plotting to rescue Madeleine, his old flame.
The title character, La Maîtresse-en-Titre, is the recognized mistress of a French monarch. Producers are pitching the film as a female-driven story that draws on the mood of Wuthering Heights, Shakespeare in Love, and Dangerous Liaisons.
Hauser said he “could not be more excited” about taking on the role of Louis XVI, calling the script a blend of “levity, romance” and vibrant history, according to the announcement. Brown, for his part, pointed out he’s long wanted to tackle an “upstairs-downstairs story” framed by what he called the “ridiculous decadence” of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s court. Headliner
Production kicks off in Europe this September. Brunson Green, Laura Rister, Brown, and Laura Bull are signed on as producers, with Michael J. Rothstein, Samuel Hall, and Warren T. Goz executive producing for North.Five.Six. According to AlloCiné, companies attached include Harbinger Pictures, Esme Grace, Ready Made Film, and North.Five.Six.
The Cannes debut comes while Grace and Hauser are already paired on a different franchise. Back in March, Netflix announced Hauser had signed on as a series regular for its live-action Scooby-Doo show, joining Grace, Tanner Hagen, Abby Ryder Fortson, and Maxwell Jenkins.
Lots of players are jockeying for space. On Tuesday, Variety flagged a fresh entry: Written in the Stars, a romantic comedy with Menik Gooneratne, Nikesh Patel and Saagar Shaikh set for the Cannes Film Market. Blue Fox Entertainment is in charge of global sales.
Landing a deal at Cannes doesn’t necessarily ensure The Official Mistress will make it to screens. Reports say the project hasn’t found its Marie Antoinette yet, and buyers might want to see more on the cast, financing, or distribution front before stepping up.
The hook? Youthful cast, Hauser in the lead, Partridge handling the romance, and a court setting that veers toward period comedy—sex, food, power, even revolution swirling at the margins. No dry history here.
