Who was Madame Tussaud? All about the French wax modeling artist as Andy Serkis set to direct and produce series on her

Actor Andy Serkis is all set to co-develop Madame!, a drama revolving around the life and work of Madame Tussaud a.k.a Marie, the French wax modeling artist who founded the globally-famous wax museum, Madame Tussauds.

Madame! will reportedly delve into the untold stories about the great artist whose wax sculptures are truly one-of-a-kind. The series will cater to the times of French Revolution and how Marie Tussaud settled in England, eventually founding her renowned wax museum in London in 1835.

---

Exploring more about Madame Tussaud and her incredible museum

Marie Tussaud, originally named Marie Grosholtz, was born on December 1, 1761 in France. She spent most of her early life in Bern, after which she moved to Paris and learned the subtle yet interesting art of wax modeling from Philippe Curtius.

From 1780 to 1789, Tussaud served as Louis XVI’s sister, Madame Élisabeth's art tutor in Versailles, until the French Revolution gained momentum.

She tied the knot with François Tussaud, an engineer, in 1795. They had two sons together, but their marriage did not last. Later, in 1802, she and her sons visited England along with her modeled wax statues to present her collection of portraits.

According to Britannica, Marie Tussaud established her first permanent exhibition in Baker Street, on the top floor of the "Baker Street Bazaar," in 1835, after spending 33 years touring Britain. However, the wax museum relocated to London's Marylebone Road in 1884, a number of years after Marie Tussaud's passing.

---

More on the Madame Tussauds museum

The incredible wax museum comprises sculpted wax statues of famous and infamous personalities and public figures. It also comprises relics of famous crimes, which are separated in the Chamber of Horrors. However, that wing of the wax museum permanently closed in 2016.

From Abraham Lincoln to Adele, Madame Tussaud's boasts many wax statues! It is successfully home to more than 190 life-like statues. Alfred Hitchcock, Queen Elizabeth II, Bob Dylan, Princess Diana, David Beckham, Dwayne Johnson, Elvis Presley, Ed Sheeran, and many, many more wax statues of celebrities have been displayed in the Madame Tussauds gallery. Some of the oldest statues, including Benjamin Franklin, Horatio Nelson, Voltaire, and Sir Walter Scott, have also been successfully preserved.

---

Everything we know about Andy Serkis' upcoming Marie Tussaud project

According to The Hollywood Reporter, in a statement, Andy Serkis noted how the drama that they have created would be "hilariously crazy." He further added:

"This is no straight-up period drama, it is a hilariously crazy, no holds barred, anarchic, punk caper conjured from the curiously twisted mind of a fabulously post-truth executioner’s daughter!"

Serkis also said:

"Marie knows one thing very clearly – if you’re going to tell your own life story, make it entertaining, even if you have to make it up, and whatever happens, cut out the boring bits.”

Andy Serkis' Imaginarium Productions is co-partnering with Newen Connect, the distribution arm of TF1 Group-owned Newen Studios, for the series.

According to Newen Connect's CEO Rodolphe Buet, the project would mostly delve into how a "visionary heroine" did not bow down to the conventional dictates of the 18th century. The biopic series deals with the,

"journey [of Marie Tussaud] as a strong independent woman managing to build an empire..."

---

While no release date has been set for the series, it will be produced by Jonathan Cavendish and Marie Guillaumond.