Lupin

Netflix’s French series *Lupin* follows Assane Diop, a Parisian thief and master of disguise played by Omar Sy. Rather than placing Maurice Leblanc’s fictional gentleman burglar Arsène Lupin in the present day, the show makes Assane a reader of Leblanc’s stories. He borrows Lupin’s methods, theatricality and taste for elaborate reversals while pursuing a personal goal: clearing his father’s name.

Assane’s father, Babakar Diop, worked for the wealthy Pellegrini family. He was accused of stealing a valuable necklace that had belonged to Marie Antoinette and died in prison. Twenty-five years later, Assane opens his campaign against Hubert Pellegrini by arranging to steal that same necklace during an auction at the Louvre. The robbery is more than a display of skill. Assane believes Babakar was framed, and the necklace may help expose what happened.

George Kay and François Uzan created the series, which premiered in January 2021. Its first two parts, released in January and June of that year, comprise five episodes each. A seven-episode third part arrived in October 2023. Louis Leterrier directed episodes in the first part.

The investigation reaches well beyond Assane’s targets. His schemes repeatedly disrupt his relationship with his former partner, Claire, played by Ludivine Sagnier, and their son, Raoul, played by Etan Simon. Antoine Gouy plays Benjamin Ferel, Assane’s longtime friend and a jeweler whose expertise makes him an important accomplice. Hervé Pierre plays Hubert Pellegrini, the powerful businessman at the center of Assane’s suspicions.

The police pursuit has its own link to Leblanc’s books. Detective Youssef Guédira, played by Soufiane Guerrab, recognizes that details of Assane’s crimes echo the Arsène Lupin stories. His familiarity with the character lets him see patterns that his colleagues initially miss. Assane’s reliance on those stories is therefore both an advantage and a vulnerability: the clues he leaves behind can impress an audience, but they can also guide someone determined to catch him.

*Lupin* uses Paris as a practical setting for its plots, not merely a backdrop. The Louvre auction launches the opening theft, while streets, trains, rooftops and crowded public places give Assane opportunities to change identities or disappear. Beneath the tricks is a continuing conflict about Babakar’s conviction and Assane’s effort to protect Raoul. That combination distinguishes the series from a straightforward adaptation of Leblanc: its central burglar is not Arsène Lupin himself, but a son who learned from him.