Jesse Eisenberg to play Marcel Marceau

Jesse Eisenberg has been tapped to play legendary mime Marcel Marceau in “Resistance”.

This won't be the usual artist biopic, however. The film will focus on Marceau's involvement in the French resistance when his country was occupied by the Nazis during World War II.

The film's backers compare it to “Life Is Beautiful”, the 1999 Oscar-winner about a man using comedy to help his son cope with the Holocaust. In a similar vein, Marceau learned to mime to survive and to save the lives of Jewish orphans whose parents had just been killed by the Nazis.

Marceau gave his first major performance to 3,000 American troops after the liberation of Paris in August 1944. He went on to perform for six more decades, winning an Emmy and numerous other honours. He was made Grand Officier de la Légion d'Honneur (1998) and was awarded the National Order of Merit (1998) in France for his work in the resistance.

Jonathan Jakubowicz (“Hands of Stone”) will direct and write the picture. Baptiste Marceau, the mime's oldest son, has been closely involved in the research of the film and will serve as executive producer.

“Resistance” will shoot in early 2018.