Asterix at the Olympic Games Plot

Asterix at the Olympic Games (French: Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques) is a French movie, adapted from René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo's Astérix comic series. It was filmed essentially in Spain in the course of the year 2006. Its €78 million budget makes it one of the most expensive European movies ever. The movie has been poorly received by critics, but has done well at several European box offices topping charts in Poland, Spain and France.

Astérix and Obélix have to win the Olympic Games in order to help their friend Alafolix marry Princess Irina, portrayed by supermodel Vanessa Hessler. Brutus (Benoît Poelvoorde) uses every trick in the book to have his own team win the game, and get rid of his father Julius Caesar (Alain Delon) in the process, but fails.

The film is very loosely adapted from the original Asterix at the Olympic Games comic book. The love story subplot between Alafolix and Irina was not featured in the original story. Brutus, portrayed here as a comical villain, is the main antagonist, while he was not even depicted in the comic.

Clovis Cornillac replaced Christian Clavier as Astérix. Jean-Pierre Cassel - playing his last film role - was the third actor to portray Druid Panoramix (Getafix), after Claude Piéplu and Claude Rich, while Alain Delon was the third actor to portray Julius Caesar in a live action Asterix film, after Gottfried John and Alain Chabat. Gérard Depardieu (as Obélix) is the only actor to reprise his part in all three films. There is a cameo of Adriana Sklenaříková as Mrs Geriatrix (replacing Arielle Dombasle in the first movie), and Jamel reprises his role as Numerobis.

The film featured several cameos by real-life sport stars, such as Michael Schumacher, Jean Todt, Zinedine Zidane, Tony Parker or Amélie Mauresmo. The part of roman athlete Claudius Cornedurus (Gluteus Maximus), played by Jérôme Le Banner, was originally to be played by Jean-Claude Van Damme.