Prior to releasing Sympathy for the Devil, de Fontenay worked primarily in theatre and advertising, and directed the short film Le Retour triptyque in 2012.[3] He first signed on to direct Sympathy for the Devil in the mid-2000s after reading war correspondent Paul Marchand's book, but the film was delayed by various production complications, including Marchand's death in 2009, and was not completed or released until 2019.[3]