Gerard Depardieu is joining the first installment of the French franchise, L'Instinct de Mort (Death Instinct) for La Petite Reine.

The film is based on the infamous gangster Jacques Mesrine, known in France as 'the man with 1,000 faces;' Jean-Francois Richet is directing the Abdel Raouf Dafri script that highlights the murders and mysteries surrounding Mesrine, played by Vincent Cassel. The Hollywood Reporter notes Depardieu will play Mesrine's fellow gangster and mentor in Death Instinct; Marion Cotillard and Eva Green are also rumored to be attached to the film. The second in the series, L'Ennemi Public no.1 (Public Enemy No. 1), has the confirmed cast of Samuel Le Bihan, Olivier Gourmet, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Gilles Lellouche.

The movies will be filmed in reverse order, with Enemy ready to begin its 15-week shoot in France on April 30 and Instinct to start filming on Aug. 20 in France, Canada, Spain and Algeria.