Who’s The Better Yves? Two Saint Laurent Biopics Go Head To Head

Back when Yves Saint Laurent passed away in 2008, we really couldn't imagine a future without him — much less a future where he was memorialized in film. But, here we are in 2013 with two productions chronicling the times of the talented, often troubled designer racing to the screen, trading paint and barbs along the way.

One of the two, titled Saint Laurent and starring Gaspard Ulliel (left), has just released its first poster and it's pretty darn striking. Almost simultaneously, the producers behind Yves Saint Laurent, starring Pierre Niney (right) and endorsed by Saint Laurent's partner in business and life, Pierre Bergé, released its own shot of their take on the designer. While he plays a younger Saint Laurent here, Niney also seems to have captured something, leaving us all the more intrigued about both productions.

The comparisons and competition between the two continue the further one goes down the credits. Alongside the talented Ulliel in Saint Laurent will be the beautiful Léa Seydoux as Yves' longtime muse and collaborator, Loulou de la Falaise. We'd pay to see that. Meanwhile, Yves Saint Laurent is going forward with the blessing of PPR (the company that owns YSL), which means it will have access to the brand's archives and permission to reproduce actual designs. That's pretty attractive, as well.

There's more points of contention (the eras and events portrayed, the quality of the associated directors) and a running controversy over who exactly has the right to make a Saint Laurent biopic. As ScreenDaily reports, the competition is evolving into a minor war of glamour and authenticity which, frankly, might be as fun to watch as either of the forthcoming movies. As this race heats up, we promise we'll keep you up to date and, of course, provide you with a final verdict on the films when they debut. Yeah, you know we're seeing 'em both.