Minister for Culture, Lands and Local Government Owen Bonnici, together with Malta Film Commissioner Johann Grech, has visited the set of the French television production La Comtesse de Monte-Cristo, which has been filming in Malta over the past three months.

The high-end production consists of eight episodes, each 52 minutes long, and marks the fifth time that Alexandre Dumas' classic The Count of Monte Cristo has been brought to Malta in a screen adaptation, this time in a contemporary reinterpretation.

During the visit, Bonnici and Grech met with key members of the production team, including producers, the director and cast, as well as the crew working on the series. Around 90% of the crew employed on the production are Maltese.

Filming has taken place across a range of iconic Maltese locations, including Riviera Bay in Mellieħa, the Pixkerija and Teatru Manoel in Valletta, Miġra l-Ferħa in Rabat, Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar, and Fort Manoel in Gżira.

Bonnici said that international productions such as La Comtesse de Monte-Cristo continue to showcase Malta's cultural heritage while supporting the creation of high-quality jobs in the film sector and contributing to the wider economy.

Grech described the production as further evidence of Malta's transformation into a year-round film industry hub. He said the Malta Film Commission remains committed to attracting international productions that generate long-term value for the local industry, while continuing to strengthen infrastructure and develop Maltese crews.

La Comtesse de Monte-Cristo offers a contemporary interpretation of Dumas' novel. While the story remains set in Marseille in 1815, the series places Mercédès Herrera at its centre, reimagining her from a tragic figure into the heroine of her own destiny.