It is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated French films of the coming months. The biopic dedicated to Johnny Hallyday is gradually starting to take shape, with filming announced for June 2026 and a cinema release planned for 2027. Information revealed by producer Hugo Sélignac himself in the columns of Paris Match. Highly anticipated by fans of the rocker, the project already promises a particularly notable cast. And after Benjamin Voisin, chosen to play Johnny Hallyday on screen, another name is particularly attracting attention: that of Laura Smet. And for good reason, the singer’s daughter will also be part of the adventure and will play her own grandmother in the film. A casting choice which intrigued many Internet users and on which Benjamin Locoge, culture editor-in-chief of Paris Match, returned this May 7 on the set of C à Vous.
Johnny biopic: the casting finally revealed
The more the months pass, the more the biopic devoted to Johnny Hallyday intrigues. Entitled Johnny, the film directed by Cédric Jimenez will look back on the major stages of the rocker’s life, from his beginnings to his legendary concerts at the Parc des Princes in 1993. The feature-length film will explore several significant periods in his career, in particular his story with Sylvie Vartan in the 60s, the era of Johnny Circus with Nanette Workman in the 70s, before diving into the 80s. Now that the story of the biopic is becoming clearer, the casting is also starting to attract attention. Nina Meurisse will therefore play Nathalie Baye, Noée Abita will be Sylvie Vartan, William Lebghil will play Michel Berger and Marie Colomb will play Nanette Workman. But the attention is mainly focused on Laura Smet, who will play Huguette Clerc, the mother of Johnny Hallyday, in other words her own grandmother. A surprising choice, which would have come directly from the actress herself.
The intriguing choice of Laura Smet
Guest on the show hosted by Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine, the culture editor-in-chief of Paris Match indeed provided some small details on this choice of Laura Smet: “She didn’t know her and it was she who asked Jimenez to play in the film. And it was she who said: ‘Çthat would be good, I would like to do this grandmother’†, he explained. This biopic also marks a real turning point in the history of the Hallyday family.“The symbol also of the reconciliation of families, because the scenario was in a way dubbed by Laeticia Hallyday (…) but obviously, the three, Laeticia and the girls, so Jade and Joy, David and Laura from their aside, everyone has read, everyone has validated and everyone agrees… explained columnists and journalists on the set of C à Vous. Enough to further reinforce the expectations of fans and curious people, impatient to discover the film in theaters in early 2027.
