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Daniel Brühl sports a ponytail as he channels Karl Lagerfeld in the first look photo for the upcoming Disney+ biopic series Kaiser Karl, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The German actor who played Baron Zemi in 2016's Captain America: Civil War and the Falcon and Winter Soldier series, and who may or may not reprise the role in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie, plays the iconic designer. The series is set in 1972 with a 38-year-old up-and-coming Lagerfeld living in Paris as he struggles to make a name in the world of high fashion.
He meets and falls in love with Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), and finds himself competing with French legendary fashion names Yves Saint Laurent (Arnaud Valois) and Pierre Bergé (Alex Lutz). Lagerfeld also meets Chloé founder Gaby Aghion (Agnès Jaoui) who is one of the first who sees his talent.
Disney+ describes the story as a “mix of romance, ambition and a tireless quest for recognition.”
The world of Karl Lagerfeld
The series is based on Rapahëlle Bacqué's 2019 biography Kaiser Karl: The Life of Karl Lagerfeld. Bacqué created and adapted the book for television with Isaure Pisani-Ferry and Jennifer Have. The Jérome Salle and Audrey Estrougo-helmed series finished its principal production in France.
Lagerfeld started his fashion career in the 1950s, and worked for several of the biggest fashion houses in the world such as Balmain, Patou and Chloé before he joined Chanel in 1983. He was the fashion house's creative director until his death.
He worked as Pierre Balmain's assistant in 1955 and then as his apprentice for three years. Afterwards, Lagerfeld became Jean Patou's artistic director. Before working for Chloé, he also worked freelance for other brands such as Charles Jourdan, Krizia and Valentino.
At Chanel, Lagerfeld revamped its ready-to-wear line and was responsible for using Coco Chanel's “CC” monogram into a style pattern.
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Over the years, Lagerfeld had been involved in several controversies regarding his remarks that were taken to be fatphobic and Islamophobic. He was also accused of undermining the #MeToo movement.
He once used a verse from the Qur'an for his 1994 Chanel spring couture collection. Lagerfeld apologized and explained that he got the verse from a book about the Taj Mahal and thought that they were from a love poem.
Lagerfeld once criticized German supermodel Heidi Klum when she posed nude for the their home country's GQ magazine, saying she was “too bling bling”.
He had a uniform of sorts that made him widely recognizable: black sunglasses, fingerless gloves and high-starched detachable collars. Lagerfeld always wore his hair in that signature white. He died in January 2019 from pancreatic cancer complications.
Kaiser Karl will premiere next year.
