Netflix’s Next Insult? A Feminist Reimagining of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’

Netflix has decided to take another swing at literary history with The Countess of Monte Cristo, a feminist reworking of Alexandre Dumas’s classic. It’s the latest in a long line of absurd “reimaginings” from a company that once prided itself on storytelling and now seems devoted to rewriting it for modern ideology.

French actress Audrey Fleurot, star of HPI, plays Mercédès Herrera — a gender-flipped version of Dumas’s original male lead, Edmond Dantès. Fleurot, who is also producing, says she’s “very involved” in the project, calling it her “baby.” Judging by Netflix’s track record, it might end up being another unloved child of the streaming world.

In this retelling, Dantès dies early so Mercédès can take over as the vengeful hero. The idea is to turn one of the greatest adventure stories ever written into a “female empowerment” saga for a market already saturated with them. The change may appeal to critics looking for symbolic victories, but longtime fans of Dumas probably won’t recognize much beyond the name. In fact, I suspect the studio isn’t even aware of the 1932 German comedy by the same name. In that tongue in cheek homage, a struggling actress borrows some fancy clothes and a car from a film set, and stays in a luxury hotel under the name “Countess of Monte Cristo”. It’s been remade three times, including as 1957’s Just Once a Great Lady. That version may not have the same female empowerment themes they wanted for this gender swapped tale.

Filming is underway in Malta and the Czech Republic with directors Djibril Glissant and Leonardo D’Antoni. French network TF1 is backing the production, while Netflix handles global release — and global outrage, most likely.

If this project sounds familiar, it’s because Netflix has made a habit of deconstructing classics. Its Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story race-swapped the main character and rewrote royal history, pushing diversity casting far beyond any historical record. Like so many of Netflix’s recent efforts, the focus wasn’t the story itself but how to retrofit the past to fit 21st-century talking points.

This is also the same platform that has drawn years of backlash from parents and educators for what shows up in its lineup for kids and teens. 13 Reasons Why was accused of glamorizing teen suicide. Even the animated shows aimed at kids like Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and Dead End: Paranormal have pushed explicit adult themes on children. Even preschool series aren’t safe, with CoComelon Lane faced criticism for weaving political messaging into children’s storytelling.

Against that backdrop, The Countess of Monte Cristo feels less like bold creativity and more like another box-checking exercise. Instead of honoring great literature, Netflix keeps reinventing it to please activist tastes while alienating the people who actually pay to watch.

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