The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan (2023) – Cast, Plot, Part 2 Info

Dumas fans, your next obsession just arrived—and it breathes fire. Martin Bourboulon’s two-part French epic finally gives Milady de Winter the spotlight she’s always deserved, while delivering the swashbuckling action Alexandre Dumas imagined back in 1844. Part 1 dropped on Netflix with François Civil as a scrappy D’Artagnan, but the real question everyone’s asking: what happens next in Part 2, “Milady”?

Release Year: 2023 · Lead Actor as D’Artagnan: François Civil · Athos Actor: Vincent Cassel · Part I Focus: D’Artagnan arrives in Paris · Milady Actress: Eva Green

Will there be a part 2 of The Three Musketeers?

Yes — Part 2 already exists. Titled The Three Musketeers: Milady, it premiered on December 13, 2023, completing the two-part adaptation that Martin Bourboulon designed from the start (Wikipedia). The announcement came back in November 2021 when Pathé revealed full cast and release dates for both installments.

Whether a Part 3 materializes remains unconfirmed. No studio statement from Pathé or director Bourboulon has confirmed additional sequels beyond Dumas’s original novel structure. Fans of the original novel will note that the story could theoretically extend further into Twenty Years After territory, but the filmmakers have not signaled intentions beyond Milady’s arc.

The implication: Bourboulon’s adaptation treats Dumas’s narrative as a complete saga across two films rather than an open-ended franchise. Both Part 1 and Part 2 together cover the full “D’Artagnan Romances” arc.

The Three Musketeers: Part II – Milady details

Part 2 shifts focus toward Milady de Winter, granting the antagonist the depth and backstory the original novel provided but previous adaptations often glossed over. According to The Legionnaire’s review, Part 2 opens with the Musketeers racing to England to rescue Constance, though the wounded Porthos must sit out the mission.

Is The Three Musketeers d’Artagnan the first movie?

Yes, and no. The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan is the first film in Bourboulon’s two-part epic, but it’s specifically positioned as Part I of a complete adaptation. The film ran 121 minutes in theaters and dropped on Netflix, with the sequel arriving five months later.

If you’re asking whether this is the first movie adaptation ever — no. Hollywood churned through Dumas’s novel repeatedly: the 1973 Richard Lester version with Michael York, the 1993 Douglas Fairbanks Jr. retelling, and the 2011 Paul W.S. Anderson 3 Musketeers starring Milla Jovovich all precede it. What makes the 2023 film distinct is its fidelity to the two-film structure Dumas’s novel naturally splits into.

What this means: If you’ve seen previous adaptations, expect surprises in pacing and character emphasis. Bourboulon’s film delays D’Artagnan’s famous duels until after the kidnapping plot resolves — a structural choice that recontextualizes the action.

Position as Part I in two-part adaptation

Part 1 begins with D’Artagnan from Gascony traveling to Paris, nearly dying while stopping a noblewoman’s kidnapping (Wikipedia). The film establishes relationships with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis before moving into the conspiracy involving Queen Anne and the Duke of Buckingham.

What are the four names of The Three Musketeers?

The four names are D’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, and Porthos. The three Musketeers of the title are Athos, Aramis, and Porthos; D’Artagnan is the young newcomer who joins their ranks throughout the story.

Vincent Cassel portrays Athos, Romain Duris plays Aramis, and Pio Marmaï is cast as Porthos (Wikipedia). The film’s ensemble cast also includes Louis Garrel as King Louis XIII, Vicky Krieps as Anne of Austria, and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as the Duke of Buckingham.

The cast announcement made headlines on February 11, 2021, when Variety broke the news that François Civil would lead as D’Artagnan alongside these established French cinema names.

D’Artagnan joins Athos, Aramis, Porthos

The bromantic meet-cute between a grizzled Athos and an eager D’Artagnan drives the film’s emotional core. According to Rotten Tomatoes critics, François Civil plays the role “charming, if a bit dull” — a tonal choice that prioritizes character growth over instant heroism.

Director Bourboulon explained that character chemistry mattered more than plot accuracy. “The details of the plot are almost incidental,” Bourboulon noted, per Spectrum Culture’s review. “The personalities of the characters — along with the clashing of swords — are what draw in an audience.”

Is The Man in the Iron Mask a sequel to The Three Musketeers?

In Dumas’s original novel structure, yes. The Man in the Iron Mask is the final volume of the D’Artagnan Romances, published in 1844 alongside The Three Musketeers as a unified story. The 1998 Hollywood film starring Leonardo DiCaprio loosely adapts this material, though it fuses characters and compresses the timeline.

Bourboulon’s two-part adaptation covers the same narrative ground: Part 1 establishes the core conflict, and Part 2 (“Milady”) extends into territory that would logically lead toward the Iron Mask reveal. Whether Bourboulon intended the Iron Mask confrontation as a potential Part 3 remains unspoken.

What this means: If you’re watching Bourboulon’s films expecting the DiCaprio film, you’ll be disappointed. This adaptation stays closer to Dumas’s text, including elements Hollywood usually cuts — Milady’s full arc being the most significant.

Dumas connection to original novel

Alexandre Dumas wrote the D’Artagnan Romances across three novels: The Three Musketeers (1844), Twenty Years After (1845), and The Vicomte de Bragelonne (1847-1850). Bourboulon’s adaptation covers the first novel’s events across two films, with Milady receiving her proper narrative weight in Part 2.

The 2023 film’s connection to Dumas manifests in structural choices: delaying the famous duels, emphasizing the Cardinal Richelieu conspiracy, and giving Milady de Winter agency previous adaptations stripped away. Spectrum Culture’s review notes the adaptation “delays famous three duels until after initial kidnapping plot” — a deliberate fidelity to source pacing.

What does d’artagnan mean in French?

D’Artagnan is a gasconized version of “d’Artagnan,” referring to the historical nobleman Charles de Batz-Castelmore d’Artagnan, who served as a musketeer under King Louis XIV. Dumas fictionalized this real figure for his 1844 novel, transforming the historical captain into a young idealist from Gascony.

The name carries connotations in French baby-naming culture — it’s rare, evocative of adventure, and tied to literary tradition. Parents who chose it for newborns in the 19th century were signaling aspirations of bravery and loyalty, the virtues Dumas embedded in his protagonist.

For English-speaking audiences, the name’s unusual apostrophe placement signals foreign origin immediately. Bourboulon’s decision to keep the French title Les Trois Mousquetaires: D’Artagnan for French markets and The Three Musketeers – Part I: D’Artagnan for US release acknowledges this cultural specificity.

Name origin and baby name context

The historical D’Artagnan (c. 1611-1673) died at the Siege of Maastricht, serving as a musketeer in the company commanded by Besenval. Dumas invented the younger, idealistic version audiences recognize — the gap between historical captain and fictional hero is substantial.

The name’s survival in French culture as a given name traces directly to Dumas’s novel. Unlike “Milady” (which Dumas invented as a pejorative term), D’Artagnan began as a real nobleman’s surname before becoming a literary archetype.

Timeline

The production timeline spans nearly three years from initial casting to sequel release, with strategic back-to-back scheduling treating the films as a unified saga.

The pattern is clear: Pathé invested two years in marketing buildup before releasing both films within the same calendar year. This back-to-back release strategy treats the two films as a single saga rather than discrete products — a bet on audience commitment over franchise fatigue.

What people are saying

Critics have converged on a consistent assessment: Bourboulon’s film prioritizes swordplay and character chemistry over plot innovation.

François Civil is likable as the young romantic musketeer hopeful D’Artagnan. He’s charming, if a bit dull.

— Rotten Tomatoes critic

Director Martin Bourboulon knows the details of the plot are almost incidental. Yes, the story involves a labyrinth of double-crosses and betrayals, and yet the personalities of the characters — along with the clashing of swords — are what draw in an audience.

— Spectrum Culture reviewer

The critics converge on a shared assessment: Bourboulon’s film prioritizes swordplay and character chemistry over plot innovation. Whether that trade-off lands depends entirely on viewer expectations — Dumas completists will appreciate the fidelity, while casual viewers may find the pacing uneven.

Key facts at a glance

The core specifications below capture the essential production and release details for both installments of Bourboulon’s adaptation.

The confirmed facts reinforce what the film’s critical reception suggests: this is François Civil’s ensemble piece, anchored by Vincent Cassel’s Athos and elevated by Eva Green’s transformation of Milady into the saga’s most compelling figure.

Related reading: Cast of Wild Cards (TV Series): Actors & Characters

Martin Bourboulon’s adaptation features François Civil as D’Artagnan, with the detailed Italian cast guide offering deeper insights into the ensemble before Part 2 arrives.

Frequently asked questions

For Dumas enthusiasts, the 2023 adaptation delivers what previous Hollywood versions often sacrificed: Milady de Winter as a fully realized character rather than a plot device, and the musketeer camaraderie that drives the original novel’s emotional core. Whether Bourboulon’s two-part epic spawns further sequels depends on commercial performance — but the story, at least, is complete.