Jérôme Salle

French screenwriter and director Jérôme Salle started his cinematic career as one of five scribes who worked on the 1997 comedy "L'homme idéal." Though the film wasn't particularly well received, it got Salle's foot in the door of the industry, leading to another comedic project, the TV movie "Bob le magnifique," which he co-penned with Dodine Herry. Salle's first directorial effort, the short war film "Le jour de grâce," established him as a double-threat filmmaker. He made good on that reputation with his feature debut as both writer and director, "Anthony Zimmer," a twist-filled crime thriller starring Sophie Marceau and Yvan Attal. Though it didn't fare well at the box office, the unpredictable film received the Hollywood treatment a few years later, remade as "The Tourist" with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. In the meantime, Salle brought the Belgian comic-book series "Largo Winch" to the big screen as director and co-writer. The tale of a young man who must avenge his adopted father's death and save his corporation, the movie proved to be a hit, spawning the sequel "The Burma Conspiracy," once again featuring leading man Tomer Sisley, as well as American actress Sharon Stone. With the "Largo Winch" productions, Salle cemented his status as one of France's foremost action-oriented filmmakers.