Lupin Part 2 - What We Know So Far

The first five episodes of original heist drama Lupin were a major hit for Netflix. Shortly after the series premiered on the streaming platform, it broke the list of the top ten most popular series on Netflix worldwide, marking the first time a French series has done so.

In Lupin, Omar Sy plays Assane Diop, the son of Babakar Siop, a Senagalese immigrant in France. Babakar was framed for the theft of a valuable necklace by Hubert Pellegrini, for whom he works as a caretaker. Being forced to take the fall for the crime ultimately resulted in Babakar's death. In the series' present, Assane is out to avenge his father by exposing the Pellegrini family's corruption. In doing so, he takes inspiration from the adventures of Arsène Lupin, a fictional French gentleman thief popular in pop culture both in France and abroad.

Bucking the trend popularized by the streaming service of releasing every episode of a season at once (among Netflix's efforts to encourage binge-watching), Netflix opted instead to release only the first season's first five episodes upon its premiere. Its final five episodes are forthcoming. Here's everything we know about those five episodes in advance of their release.

The good news for those itching for more Lupin is that the entire series was filmed in one go (via Oprah Magazine). Therefore, the ongoing pandemic is unlikely to interfere majorly with its release, given that the production of its final five episodes is now in the hands of the post-production team, who are theoretically capable of working remotely.

On Jan. 28, less than a month after the series' premiere, Netflix revealed that Part 2 of Lupin's first season is slated for a Summer 2021 release. The streaming service has provided no further details as to just when during the summer those final five episodes will drop. Given that an ongoing pandemic can nevertheless hinder even those working together remotely, a general summer timeline provides a window of months to which its release can adhere while including a cushion for any minor delays. As summer draws closer and the Lupin team progresses through the finishing touches on its first season's final five episodes, an exact date is likely to be announced in advance of their release.

Though all of Lupin Part 2 has been filmed, the cast of those final five episodes has yet to be detailed. Nevertheless, the majority of the series' stars are likely to return, given that all of the series was filmed in one go.

Omar Sy is all but guaranteed to be returning as Assane. While his Hollywood career includes a number of performances in Blockbuster films from which he may seem familiar, a starring role in a chart-topping Netflix series is among his most notable roles to date. Also likely to return to the series are the actors portraying the members of Assane's family. Ludivine Sagnier plays Claire, Assane's ex-wife with whom he hopes to rekindle a lost romance. In his debut role, Etan Simon plays Raoul, their son. Based on the Part 1 finale, Raoul is likely to play a key role in the story of Part 2.

Finally, rounding out Part 1's central cast are Vincent Londez as Police Captain Romain Laugier, Hervé Pierre as the villainous Hubert Pellegrini, and Soufiane Guerrab as Detective Youssef Guedira. All of these characters remain important to Lupin's story, necessitating each of these actors returning. Unlikely to join the cast of Part 2 is Anne Benoît as journalist Fabienne Bériot, based on a story development at the end of Part 1.

Since Lupin Part 2 will pick up immediately where its first part left off, its plot is expected to resolve some of the tension built up over the course of the series' first five episodes. At the end of Part 1, a henchman working for Hubert Pellegrini kidnaps Assane and Claire's son Raoul. As of the fifth episode's conclusion, Raoul remains missing. Lupin is sometimes dark in tone but never hopeless, so Raoul is likely to make it back home at some point during Part 2.

Central to the tension between Assane and Claire is the fact that Claire is unaware of the extent of Assane's secret life. That includes both his endeavors as a gentleman thief and an affair revealed in episode 5 between him and Hubert Pellegrini's daughter Juliette. That issue is likely to be resolved in Part 2, whether through a reconciliation between Assane and Claire or their falling out.

Finally, Detective Youssef, as the story currently stands, is the only investigator suspicious of Assane's role as a gentleman thief. How that knowledge might hinder Assane's quest for revenge is likely to impact the story of Part 2.