Tewfik Jallab is back as former French protection officer Vincent Taleb in the second season of the Has Fallen television franchise, titled Apollo Has Fallen. Ahead of the show’s global release, the 44-year-old French actor spoke about the challenge of avoiding typecasting after the worldwide success of the first season, Paris Has Fallen. He also shared why he insists on doing his own stunts and what he wanted to keep from the original season.
Tewfik Jallab Opens Up About the Pressure of Following a Hit Season
The first season of Paris Has Fallen brought Tewfik Jallab recognition far beyond France. The series aired on Canal+ in France and later on Hulu in the United States, reaching audiences across the globe. Jallab admits the response was bigger than he expected. “When you work, you expect that people like what you do. But (that happening) like worldwide, it was amazing,” he said. “I have worked a lot on it, so we wanted that.”
That success, however, comes with a familiar problem for actors in action-driven roles. Jallab is aware that a single popular character can define an entire career. “When you do a job and when you’re trying to do as good as you can, people want to lock you in, especially like action hero or whatever. And I’m trying to break this lock as often as I could,” he explained.
Why Tewfik Jallab Does Not Want to Be Boxed In
Between the two seasons of the franchise, Tewfik Jallab made deliberate choices to work outside the action genre. He shot two feature films during that break, including a musical and another project about two gypsy brothers. “I try my best to not be boxed. Between two seasons, I shot two feature films, a musical and another one about two gypsy brothers. So I kind of felt that I was blessed to be able to play something else, and break the mould,” he said.
The musical he refers to is Partir un jour, directed by Amélie Bonnin, which opened the 78th Cannes Film Festival in May 2025. The second film is Sans pitié (also known as Without Mercy), directed by Julien Hosmalin, where he plays Rayan, a fairground worker haunted by a past trauma alongside his brother Dario, played by Adam Bessa.
Jallab is clear that he is not turning his back on action. He simply wants roles that let him show more than physical skill. “I love action. To me, it’s more than just two people shooting at each other. So I am trying to find that kind of balance, because I feel I have a lot of skills and there are a lot of things that I wish to and I am capable of playing,” he stated.
Vincent and Zara’s Bond Remains the Heart of the Story
For the second season, Jallab was determined to protect one key element from the first. “What I didn’t want to lose is the relationship between Zara (played by British-Indian actor Ritu Arya) and Vincent,” he said. The bond between the two leads became a standout feature of Paris Has Fallen, and the new season keeps that dynamic at its centre.
Director David Caffrey praised Jallab’s presence as Vincent. “He is perfect as Vincent – partly because he looks pretty good and he’s in very good shape. But also, because he just has a leading-man quality about him. He does quite a few of his own stunts. He’s got a very good instinct for the action sequences, but he’s also got a brilliant feel for the performance sequences,” Caffrey said.
Jallab confirmed his commitment to practical action work. Asked if he prefers doing his own action sequences, his answer was direct: “Totally. 100% action is done by me, and I loved every second of it.”
Apollo Has Fallen Release Date and Streaming Details
Apollo Has Fallen is an eight-episode action thriller created and written by Howard Overman. The season is directed by David Caffrey and Alice Troughton. The cast includes Ritu Arya as MI6 agent Zara Taylor, Tewfik Jallab as Vincent Taleb, Jacek Koman as mercenary leader Yuri Mishkin, along with Richard Dormer, Charlotte Spencer, Arthur Darvill, Annabel Scholey, and Aylin Tezel returning in their respective roles.
The release schedule varies by region. The show premieres on September 14, 2026 on Canal+ in France and on Hulu in the United States. Prime Video carries the series in the United Kingdom. Universal+ releases it on September 15 across Latin America, including Chile and Brazil. SBS on Demand fast-tracks the show in Australia from September 16. Indian viewers can watch it on Lionsgate Play starting September 18.
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What Happens in Apollo Has Fallen Season 2
The plot picks up with a surveillance operation in Benghazi, Libya that spirals out of control. A hijacked aircraft crashes off the Libyan coast, pulling Zara and Vincent into a dangerous conspiracy. They uncover a plan by ruthless mercenary leader Yuri Mishkin to weaponise a deadly biological virus capable of devastating Europe. The chase moves from the Libyan coast to Madrid and London, with the pair also dealing with a possible mole inside their own ranks.
Ritu Arya shared what makes the season’s threat feel real to audiences. “The stakes have been raised. This time the threat is a virus that’s been unleashed. And so, from what the world went through recently, I’m pretty sure everyone’s going to be able to relate to this fear, and also not knowing what’s going on behind closed doors with something like that. Multiply COVID by 100 equals our show,” she said. She also noted that Zara goes “a bit rogue” this season, which made the role more fun to play.
The Has Fallen franchise began with the film Olympus Has Fallen in 2013, followed by London Has Fallen in 2016 and Angel Has Fallen in 2019, starring Gerard Butler as Secret Service agent Mike Banning. The film trilogy grossed over $500 million worldwide. Gerard Butler serves as an executive producer on the television series. A third season, titled Shadow Has Fallen, has already been confirmed, with Iwan Rheon, Brendan Coyle, and Atandwa Kani joining the cast.
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