Meridian Pictures will produce Vadim Perelman’s “The Last Executioner”, co-written by Ukrainian soldier Andrii Khokholkin

Meridian Pictures’ Eric Paquette will produce. the last butcherThe new project by director Vadim Perelman, who co-wrote with Andrei Khokholkin.

Khokholkin, who has written several projects in Ukraine, is currently in the Ukrainian army, having joined the military after the Russian invasion.

the last butcher It tells the story of Henri-Clément Sanson, who held the post of royal butcher in Paris, in the service of King Louis Philippe I from 1840 to 1847. Sanson was a butcher for a long time. His father was the chief butcher of the city for 47 years, while his grandfather, Charles-Henri Sanson, was also the butcher of royal figures and tempted revolutionaries.

“The work passed from grandfather to father to son, and the entire outcast family was so feared that they were almost supernatural beings,” Perelman said (House of sand and fog, Persian lessons).

According to him, the project is “a very interesting story about crime, conscience, father, son, family debts and the things parents and grandparents carry. … It is a story in the context of a world we have not seen ”.

Perelman said Khokholkin brought him the project when he was in Kiev. The director said he was interested in the idea and the timing, but suggested it was a personal story. They then collaborated on the script, with Khoholkin writing in Russian and Perelman in English.

As he left the military base, Khokholkin said he took the idea from a Ukrainian tradition: putting bread upside down on the table is considered bad luck. Khokholkin, who at that time worked in an advertising agency, tried to find out the origin of superstition. Among the stories he discovered was that in 19th century France bakers gave bread to butchers because they were considered marginalized, the opposite. This ultimately led to the Sanson family story, which turned out to be an “incredible discovery” for the project, Khokholkin said.

According to him, his decision to join the Ukrainian army was somewhat “automatic” and “no decision was made”. According to him, he always thought there was going to be a war with Russia. He was part of the 2013 Maidan demo series, an emotionally draining experience.

When the war broke out in February and the Russians got so close to Kiev, he said he “really had no choice but to do so.” He is currently training him but said he thinks he might fight soon. He has also lost some friends.

Paquette, who launched Meridian last year, said in a statement that he and Perelman “share a deep desire to tell stories that will have a profound impact on audiences around the world. I am also thrilled to make this film in honor of our co-writer Andriy, who is fighting to save his country. “