PassionFlix: Serendipity and Sylvain Reynard’s Gabriel’s Inferno

Longtime Sylvain Reynard readers have formed a social media-based community of fans all over the world who celebrate Reynard’s work. In 2020 as the world collectively struggled with the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic there was a serendipitous ray of sunshine that provided much needed relief and lots of smiles: The PassionFlix adaptation of Gabriel’s Inferno.

The Google definition of serendipity is “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way” and there is no better way to describe how the stars aligned to bring the three installments of Gabriel’s Inferno to life in a year when schedules flew out the window and the vast majority of Hollywood productions shut down due to the pandemic.

To tell this story, it is perhaps best to start at the end. In a recent episode of the Passion Pod podcast, PassionFlix CEO Tosca Musk remarked that she will be heading to Italy soon to begin preparations to film the Italian portions of Gabriel’s Rapture. The Toronto portions of the film had been completed in 2019 and 2020 ahead of the shutdown, leaving work to be done in Italy and in Massachusetts.

She also commented that if COVID-19 hadn’t happened, they would be finishing production on Gabriel’s Redemption.

Even a pandemic couldn’t derail PassionFlix and Gabriel’s Inferno

If you’re not familiar with Reynard’s Gabriel Series, there are four books in the series: Gabriel’s Inferno, Gabriel’s Rapture, Gabriel’s Redemption and Gabriel’s Promise. The first three books have been optioned by PassionFlix, with fans hoping that Promise joins the mix to complete the series.

Musk served as executive producer and director on Gabriel’s Inferno, splitting the book into three feature length films. The first installment arrived to much fanfare in May 2020, followed by Part 2 in July and Part 3 in November. Remarkably, PassionFlix was able to complete all of the post-production work and release all three movies in the middle of a pandemic. That’s one heck of an accomplishment and a testament to Musk’s dedication to Reynard’s work and the fans who have been so very eager to see the story come to life.

When Musk pointed out that COVID-19 has pushed the calendar back so now work is about to resume on Rapture, the second book in the series, and not Redemption, the third book, it highlighted how very incredible it is that the first three movies were able to be completed at all.

This is where serendipity really makes its red carpet arrival in our story.

As PassionFlix is a budding streaming service in a sea of streamers, budgetary constraints force production to work at a heightened pace compared to other feature films. Since Musk’s team knew that all three books were being developed they were able to plan a filming schedule back in 2019 that not only allowed them to film everything they needed for the Gabriel’s Inferno movies, but for part of Rapture as well. (This is why there are already behind the scenes photos and a teaser from Rapture)

If not for the happy coincidence of a tight filming schedule, Gabriel’s Rapture would be even further delayed.

We talked with Musk a year ago about the impact the Gabriel Series would have on PassionFlix, and she said it was already having an impact well ahead of the first movie’s release: “I think it will have a significant impact on Passionflix – it already has! With the support of SR and the commitment to this project from both [Gabriel Series actors] Giulio [Berruti] and Melanie [Zanetti], I think it will be wonderfully impressive to our current fanbase and encourage others to come on board and watch.”

Enter serendipity again.

Who would have imagined that a global pandemic would have so many people sheltering in place all over the world when the first installment of Gabriel’s Inferno was released? Though the movie wasn’t able to have the kind of red carpet premiere fans might expect, in many ways Gabriel’s Inferno Part 1 had an even bigger global premiere with fans tuning in to Zoom watch parties and social media live feeds to enjoy the moment.

In the middle of a very dark time filled with uncertainty and despair, a bright light shone through as PassionFlix provided a two-hour respite for fans who needed an escape, and it also brought people together from all corners of the world to enjoy it together.

The same thing happened with Part 2 in July 2020, and Part 3 in November.

The reception for all three movies was likely much larger than it ever would have been because of the pandemic and the need to find distractions in the middle of the uncertainty.

There are other serendipitous moments when it comes to Gabriel’s Inferno and PassionFlix. There were the fans who helped float the name Giulio Berruti to the top of the casting list as Professor Gabriel O. Emerson. There is the good fortune of having an incredible ensemble cast that works so well together and genuinely loves and cares about each other. There is the undeniable chemistry between stars Berruti and Melanie Zanetti.

It’s not often that the stars align so perfectly with a project of this magnitude. While it’s unfortunate that the pandemic has greatly delayed the release of Gabriel’s Rapture, it is so important to be grateful that the first installment will arrive in 2021 at all (targeted for a fall release) given all of the obstacles in the way.

Let’s hope those same stars remain aligned and serendipity continues to smile upon the Gabriel Series and PassionFlix because this beloved series means so much to fans all over the world, and it continues to bring people together in a time when community is so very important.