Pictures: Netflix
A new movie starring French MMA star Ciryl Gane will be released on Netflix globally beginning June 6th. Here’s everything you need to know about this new addition to the platform’s French lineup that will hopefully continue Netflix’s solid lineup in the non-English action genre so far in 2025 with titles from around the world like iHostage, Exterritorial, and Ad Vitam.
The French division of Netflix is no stranger to action programming featuring a strong dose of fighting: The Cage, featuring the evolution of a young MMA fighter, was released last December to strong ratings and renewed for a second season.
This new movie is betting on the star power of local powerhouse Ciryl Gane, who has a background in muay thai boxing and has been making a strong impression in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, even getting an Interim Championship Heavyweight belt in 2021. The project is being produced by Empreinte Digitale, a long-running French company specializing in genre programming. It is no stranger to Netflix as it has already supplied short-lived series Marianne and The 7 Lives Of Léa for the platform.
K.O. (Knock Out) international poster
What is K.O. about?
Here is the official logline: “A former fighter must find the missing son of an opponent he accidentally killed years ago, taking on a brutally violent crime gang in Marseille.”
The film has a runtime of 1 hour and 26 minutes and is rated TV-MA.
Who is cast in Netflix’s K.O.?
Ciryl Gane plays Bastien, a recluse MMA fighter taking a break since accidentally killing his opponent Enzo three years before the events of the movie. This is his first major lead performance in a movie, as he has had a supporting role this year in Den Of Thieves 2 : Pantera.
Alice Belaïdi plays Kenza, a French police officer who will run into Bastien and is trying to take down a sprawling drug ring operating out of Marseille. The actress is one of the most acclaimed young French comedians of the past decade ; she has had a main role in French comedy A Little Something Extra, which has broken French box-office records in 2024. On the television side, she remains in the main cast of critically-acclaimed medical drama Hippocrate, who broadcast its third season in 2024 on Canal+.
Alice Belaïdi in K.O. Photo credit : Laurent Le Crabe/Netflix.
Maleaume Paquin plays Léo, the son of the late Enzo who was killed by Bastien in an ill-fated fight. He went missing in the streets of north Marseille, which may be linked to the local drug ring Bastien will go up against. This young comedian has already been seen in the movie adaptation of popular book Remi, Nobody’s Boy (Remi Sans Famille) in 2018. That movie was written and directed by Antoine Blossier, who is helming K.O.
The supporting cast is rounded out by Anne Azoulay, who plays Enzo’s widow, Ibrahima Keita and Faued Nabba.
Where did K.O. film?
The movie shot in Marseille, where the action is mainly set. Details are scarce on the shoot, but according to leaks on social media, the crew and its stars were in production for most of the summer of 2024.
Are you looking forward to this new movie, which will soon be available on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below. For more on Netflix’s upcoming lineup of French titles, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix.
