Here’s the trailer for Becoming Elizabeth, because you haven’t seen enough British period pieces yet
The Starz series follows Queen Elizabeth I during her teen years
Aux News Elizabeth
The devil works hard, but the British period piece industrial complex works harder. Up next on the docket is Becoming Elizabeth, a new Starz series following the tumultuous teen years of Queen Elizabeth I.
The first trailer for the show kicks off with the death of her father, King Henry VIII, which leads to the coronation of her 9-year-old brother Edward. Per Starz, the siblings “find themselves pawns in a game between the great families of England and the powers of Europe who vie for control of the country.” The child king’s decision-making skills leave something to be desired, leading him to clash with his sisters over the prospect of arranged marriages. (The mass bloodshed looks pretty rough, too.)
The trailer promises plenty of Tudor era extravagance, dramatic horseback riding, battles set against the bleakness of the English countryside, and some literal bodice ripping (with a sword?!), because hey, this is premium cable and it’s the network that brought you Outlander!
German actress Alicia von Rittberg (Fury) stars as the titular future queen, with Romola Garai (The Hour) and Oliver Zetterström (The Romanoffs) as Mary and Edward. Other cast members include Jamie Parker (Harry Potter And The Cursed Child), Tom Cullen (Weekend), Bella Ramsey (Game Of Thrones), Jessica Raine (Call The Midwife), and Olivier Huband (A Discovery Of Witches). Becoming Elizabeth was written, created, and executive produced by Anya Reiss, a playwright who’s also worked on EastEnders.
Back in 2018, Margot Robbie played the queen in the film Mary, Queen Of Scots. Cate Blanchett portrayed Elizabeth twice in 10 years, in 1998's Elizabeth and 2007's Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Becoming Elizabeth promises to mix things up by looking at an earlier period in the monarch’s life.
Becoming Elizabeth premieres on Starz on June 12, at midnight on streaming and at 9 p.m. ET/PT on conventional television.
15 Comments
Was kind of hoping this was another feature about Theranos.
Oh…THAT Elizabeth.
To be honest, I actually this is a really good period of time to focus on and has a lot of really intriguing stories to Elizabeth’s rise to become one of the most iconic monarchs in Western history. Edward’s reign, Jane Eyre’s nine days on the throne and of course Queen Mary. With especially that last being such a fascinating relationship between the two half-sisters.I’m legitimately shocked that they haven’t done this kind of a show before as there is just so much that can be done. Doesn’t mean it’s going to be good, but at least there’s the potential.
As a sidenote, I was actually thinking on the Tudors TV show recently again and there’s this one aspect of that show that I have never been able to understand. If anyone knows of an interview that explains it, I would be truly grateful.So the show took so many liberties, yet did almost nothing with Elizabeth. Now in a way it is understandable as Henry kept her a distance, but it’s not like the show really cared about historical accuracy and it just felt like so fitting to the thematic of the show. It could produced such a stronger end for the show than the one we got.
Elizabeth is such a fascinating person. Essentially a prodigy, who only survived to adulthood through almost miraculous luck. I’d like to see her early years too.
Yeah, I actually ended up doing a deep dive into Elizabeth’s early life a few years ago and was just struck how amazing her rise to power was. Just that it even happened, but then that she became the ruler who she was.It’s also really interesting as it feels like we keep having these fixations to characters who are in ways in Elizabeth’s orbit, such as her mother Anne Boleyn two decades ago and then Mary, Queen of the Scots, a decade ago, but for some reason Elizabeth herself is just taken for granted in a way.
Jane Grey? Although Jane Eyre would be an interesting spin.Teasing. I’m super interested in this as well. The sisters, Katherine Parr’s husband trying to seduce Elizabeth and the devastation that brought to Katherine.
Jesus Christ, I keep that same mistake. And that would be really interesting take.Yeah,
I’m already dreading Katherine Parr’s heartbreak when she was finally
supposed to get her happy ending after being forced to marry Henry. Yet
there is something astonishing that she did intervene in what Thomas
Seymour was doing and how huge of a role that has in Elizabeth being
able to become what she became.I also do feel that from what little I’ve read, it is almost criminal how little attention the extremely complicated relationship between Mary and Elizaebth has gotten in popular culture.
I’ve spent too much time on The Six (and I’m so excited that musical is coming to my city next fall) but when you really sort them out, oddly enough, the ones that faired best were Anne of Cleves and then Katherine Parr, as far as Henry was concerned. Anne always sounded tragic until you realize she never had to consummate her marriage because Henry wasn’t in to her, and then he basically paid her off handsomely to go live alone in fairly lovely circumstances and be summoned to court as a ‘sister’ for fancy stuff while having her own apartments. Katherine only lucked out because he died, but she had been denied her true love twice over in her early years and then when she thought she would finally marry Thomas, Henry decided on her. THEN when he croaked and she could be with Thomas, and take in her beloved step daughter, the creep ruined it. She was an unusually strong, independent, astute and educated woman of her time and men just kept fucking it up for her. Probably still better than what Catherine, Anne, Jane* and Katherine got.*She died so early into the marriage it is hard to tell how that would have played out.
0:01 Saoirse Ronan twelve years old 0:02 Helena Bonham Carter contemporary fucking bitch 0:03 the little girl who used to live in Madonna’s old house in Silver Lake Los Angeles nine years old she was funny 0:04 psychotic Henry VIII 0:05 lavender eyes she lives in Los Angeles 0:07 Young Frankenstein Teri Garr patronising cunt 0:09 that house in the movie set in a country house in England with Orson Welles the governess housekeeper whatever she was tall black hair bitch 0:11 fat Nicole Kidman fifteen years old The BMX Bandits when they broke her arm 0:13 Billie Eilish 0:14 Amy Adams mistress of evil 0:14 Katy B eighteen years old I’ll kick the shit out of you you fucking arsehole 0:15 fat Renée Zellweger real life horrendous bitch 0:15 Emma Stone pissed off midget 0:17 Rooney Mara Charles Manson 0:18 the chat show host in Los Angeles with lung cancer 0:18 Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Willem Dafoe 0:19 Sandra Bullock who has lung cancer
Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan played cousins, not sisters, in Mary, Queen of Scots. Although since there were about 10 girls names in use back then, there are quite a few Marys to mix up.
LOL! Every time I dig into a book during that era it gets ridiculous to keep track of which Mary, Jane, Elizabeth, K/Catherine or Anne is which.
I’m still embarrassed how long it took me to figure out that Queen Mary and Mary, Queen of the Scots, were two different people.
Not your fault! There is also Mary of Guise! The fact that anyone can keep the women of history of that era at all straight is a miracle since they all shared one of eight names. Mary and Margaret Tudor were also wildly fascinating in different ways.And not to place all the name game history crap on the women, since prominent to Henry VIII were ALL the Thomases: Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich, and Thomas Cranmer. Not to mention Anne Boleyn’s father, brother and uncle were all named Thomas as well.Bonus points to the one Richard having his first and surname be basically the same.
At least the women had given names, even if they were all the same.In the Roman Republic, daughters just got their father’s family name. Thus Mark Antony had three daughters named Antonia. The mother of the younger two was one of two sisters of Gaius Octavian named Octavia, who had born two daughters named Claudia to her first husband. The mother of the oldest was Mark Antony’s cousin… Antonia.