PARIS - French actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial on Monday over alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set, a case placing one of the world's best known movie stars at the heart of France's broader reckoning over sexual violence.

A towering figure of French cinema, Depardieu has faced a growing number of sexual assault allegations in recent years. Depardieu, 76, has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and this would be the first case for which he would be standing trial.

Depardieu's lawyer, Jeremie Assous, said the case was based on "false accusations" against his client, adding that the movie star was expected to attend the two-day trial after an initial hearing was postponed due to his ill health.

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Prosecutors say the assaults took place during the filming in 2021 of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters).

They accuse Depardieu of groping one of the women on the film set, pulling her towards him and trapping her with his legs before touching her waist, hips and breasts while saying obscene words. Three people witnessed the scene, prosecutors say.

They say the second woman was groped by Depardieu on set and in the street.

The women's identities have not been revealed.

The alleged assaults occurred while Depardieu was under formal investigation over accusations of raping a young actress in 2018. A trial has been requested by prosecutors in the case.

A lawyer for one of the women told Reuters her client was scared to come forward against Depardieu.

'Cinema giant'

Gerard Depardieu waves as he arrives during a red carpet event for the movie Novecento- Atto Primo at the 74th Venice Film Festival in Venice

"There's a fear, because he's a cinema giant," said Carine Durrieu-Diebolt. "It's a struggle between David and Goliath and they are afraid of retaliation as they all work in cinema but at a much lower level than Depardieu."

The lawyer for the second plaintiff did not reply to Reuters requests for comment.

Depardieu's trial could be the highest-profile #MeToo case to come before the courts in France, a country where the protest movement over sexual violence has struggled to gain the same traction as in the United States.

Recently, however, there have been signs this might change.

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Gisele Pelicot became a global feminist icon last year after she waived her rights to anonymity during the trial of her former husband, who was convicted of drugging her and inviting dozens of men over to their home to sexually abuse her.

Then, last month, a French court found film director Christophe Ruggia guilty of sexually abusing actress Adele Haenel when she was underage.

French director and actress Judith Godreche, who like Haenel has become a major voice in France's #MeToo movement, said these trials showed some progress.

"One of the great things that is happening is that women who are talking against very powerful men are mostly not considered crazy anymore," she told Reuters over the phone.

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However, Godreche said it is still uncommon for men to speak up in the French cinema industry.

Last week, a parliamentary inquiry commission questioned several prominent actors, directors and producers on the topic of sexual violence in cinema. Most of the men, including famous actor Jean Dujardin, requested the hearings be held behind closed doors.