“Lupin,” the thrilling French television series on Netflix, has captivated audiences around the world with its charismatic and cunning protagonist, Assane Diop, portrayed by the talented actor Omar Sy.

The show’s creators, George Kay and François Uzan, were inspired by French novelist Maurice Leblanc’s fictitious character Arsène Lupin.

Is there any truth to this gentleman thief’s intriguing tales, or is it all a product of imagination?

In this article, we explore the origins of Lupin and its connections to real-life events and figures.

Is Lupin Inspired By a True Story?

No, the film ‘Lupin’ is not based on a genuine story. The series, however, is inspired by Maurice Leblanc’s fictitious character Arsene Lupin, a gentleman thief and master of disguise. The character was initially named Lopin, but his name was changed discreetly due to the misgivings of a local politician.

The novels that are significantly featured in many sequences of the show inspired Assane Diop’s persona. Lupin was conceived in 1905 as a character in a series of short stories published in the French journal ‘Je sais tout.’

His character has been adapted countless times for theater, comics, films, and video games, with the most recent offering being the delicious thriller, ‘Lupin.’ Lupin’s enigmatic figure is more of an anti-hero who battles morally bankrupt opponents.

His guile and charisma are contagious, which is how he gets away with his work without being noticed. When developing Lupin, Maurice Leblanc may have been influenced by the trial of Marius Jacob, a French anarchist.

Other existing gentleman thief figures, such as Octave Mirbeau’s Arthur Lebeau, may have influenced his novels. Many of Lupin’s adventures contain fantasy aspects that successfully merge real-world panache with implausible adventures.

Surprisingly, Leblanc included the persona of Sherlock Holmes in his writings. The battle between Lupin and Holmes established a creative engagement that has delighted lovers of detective books for decades.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle objected to copyright infringement, so Leblanc skillfully changed the name to Herlock Sholmes, a figure who appears frequently in the stories and novellas. They featured in a video game named ‘Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsene Lupin’ after copyright expiration.

In the series, the character of Assane Diop is highly influenced by Arsene Lupin’s escapades and adopts his ways to get revenge on the person responsible for his father’s death. His vengeance is inspired by Lupin’s beliefs, and it has taken him 25 years to complete.

Read More: Is Nowhere Based on a True Story?

Although robbery has moral implications, ‘Lupin’ twists it dramatically to show its necessity in the garb of vengeance. Viewers will become engrossed in the series, thanks to the brilliant deception and action-packed thrills.

The series’ robbery is on a big scale and mixes the ever-familiar detective story ingredients in a new mold. Although the premise of ‘Lupin’ is not based on a true story, it pays a fascinating homage to Arsene Lupin and other literary fiction investigators.