Weinstein Company snaps up U.S. Yves Saint Laurent biopic rights

A French-language biopic of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent will be distributed in the US by the Weinstein Company, it said on Wednesday.

Starring French actor Pierre Niney, the film will tell the story of how the 21-year-old Saint Laurent unexpectedly found himself at the helm of fashion house Christian Dior following Dior's death in 1957 and went on to found his own fashion house with Pierre Berge.

Distribution rights for the film, to be directed by Jalil Lespert, have already been sold for other markets including the UK, Canada, Australia, Russia, the Middle East and Scandinavia.

TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinstein described Saint Laurent's life story as compelling.

"Yves Saint Laurent's unmatched vision, ambition and business savvy continue to spark intrigue in the eyes of the world," he said in statement.

"The personal and business relationships shared between him and Pierre Berge only added further depth to his story: we feel that Jalil Lespert's film will perfectly capture these combined elements."