Trivia for
L'ennemi public n°1 (2008) More at IMDbPro »

• Barbet Schroeder was originally hired to direct the two Mesrine movies. He went on to direct Inju, la bête dans l'ombre (2008) starring Benoît Magimel, who was at one point attached as the lead in this project.
  
  
• Filmed back-to-back with L'instinct de mort (2008), which stands as the first half of the two-part story.
  
  
• Eva Green and Marion Cotillard were originally set for the roles ultimately taken by Ludivine Sagnier and Cécile De France in this and in L'instinct de mort (2008). It is however unclear as to which actress would have played what role.
  
  
• Producer Thomas Langmann first contacted Vincent Cassel about the Mesrine project in 2001, after the release of Jacques Audiard's Sur mes lèvres (2001). Cassel initially accepted, but then bowed out as he found the script too "black and white". Benoît Magimel and 'Vincent Elbaz'convinced by new helmer 'Jean-Francois Richet' were then successively attached before Cassel returned' and especially Abdel Raouf Dafri's two-part script, claiming the screenwriter had succeeded in bringing the right tone to the picture and the character, bringing out all his darkness and paradoxes.
  
  
• Benoît Magimel, who was at one time set to star, stepped down from the Mesrine project without informing producer Thomas Langmann, choosing instead to issue a press release. As a result of this a fight erupted on November 25th 2004 at the Intertalent talent agency between Langmann and Magimel's agent, François Samuelson, where Langmann headbutted Samuelson and broke his nose. Samuelson was on sick leave for nine days and pressed charges against Langmann.
  
  
• Vincent Cassel gained 20 kgs (44 pounds) for the role during the four months leading up to the shoot.
  
  
• The filming of this and L'instinct de mort (2008), which lasted nine straight months, was done in reverse chronological order so that Vincent Cassel could progressively lose the weight he gained in preparation of the role, as Cassel knew he couldn't gain weight while filming.
  
  
• Just like Vincent Cassel, Samuel Le Bihan gained 20 kgs (44 pounds) for his role as gangster Michel Ardouin.
  
  
• Jean-Pierre Cassel was originally set for the role of Jacques Mesrine's father (ultimately held by Michel Duchaussoy) in this and L'instinct de mort (2008).
  
  
• Guillaume Canet was originally set for the role of François Besse, ultimately held by Mathieu Amalric.
  
  
• Clovis Cornillac was originally set for the role of Charly Bauer, ultimately held by Gérard Lanvin.
  
  
• Visa d'exploitation n° 116594
  
  

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