A Cognac Brand Just Made a John Malkovich Film That No One Will See for 100 Years

"I thought it was a little fantastic idea; I wish it would have happened to some of my other films," Malkovich joked.

Robert Rodriguez and John Malkovich have made a movie that no one currently alive will ever see—and that's just fine by them.

The film is called 100 Years, and it was financed by French cognac maker Louis XIII (pronounced "Louie Trez"), whose marketers conceived this unusual, ingenious idea.

Louis XIII, officially known as Louis XIII de Remy Martin, is a brand that prides itself on craftsmanship. Its cognac is made from wine grapes grown in the Grande Champagne territory of Cognac, France. It is blended from 1,200 eaux-de-vie (brandy) that takes 100 years to craft. Fred & Farid in New York produced the film under head of production Karim Naceur, in conjunction with Moonwalk Films and executive producer Gaspard Chevance.

Ludovic du Plessis, the brand's global executive director, noted at a press conference with Rodriguez and Malkovich on Wednesday that it takes a century for each bottle of Louis XIII to age. So, why not do the same with a film?

"Our cellar master is crafting Louis XIII today that will be ready in 2115," he noted. "He will never see his baby. He is working on something for people who haven't been born yet. This is impressive, and this is our source of inspiration. This was the creative source of inspiration for the movie 100 Years."

Similarly, the cast and crew of 100 Years will never see the final cut of the film, not even Rodriguez, who sent his rough edit out for visual effects to be added and never saw the final cut before it went in the vault.



A few stills from three futuristic teasers for the film were leaked on entertainment websites earlier this month, but the news that the actual film was to be held for release for another century was only revealed Wednesday.

Though specifics about 100 Years were not disclosed, the filmmakers describe it as set in the current world.

"It's set today, it's very elegant, it's emotionally charged, and it's John's writing," said Rodriguez, dressed casually in dark clothes and a leather jacket, referring to Malkovich. "You have to touch people's hearts if they're going to show it in the future, so it has to be honest. The teasers are what we imagine the future would be to grab your attention. I'm proud of it, even though nobody I know will ever see it."

Malkovich plays the hero, Chinese actress Shuya Chang (Revenge of the Green Dragons, the upcoming Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend) plays the heroine, and Chilean actor Marko Zaror, who appeared in Rodriguez's Machete Kills, plays the villain.

Though few details about the plot are known, du Plessis described it as Malkovich's vision of the next 100 years. "It's the delicate relationship between the past, the present and the future," he said. "It's really, for us, a tribute to the mastery of time."