A new Starz series by Revolutionary Road and Red Sparrow author Justin Haythe is based on the Renaissance era and one fearsome female monarch who lived during it. The nonfiction book Catherine de Medici : Renaissance Queen of France by Swedish author Leonie Frieda was a major inspiration for The Serpent Queen.
The historical drama will include eight episodes. The pilot episode and a few more are directed by Jewish American director Stacie Passon, who wrote and directed the 2018 thriller We Have Always Lived in the Castle and recently helmed four episodes of Dickinson in 2019. Everything we know about the upcoming series, including the famous cast and the historical events that served as inspiration, is summarised here.
The Serpent Queen Release date
The first episode of The Serpent Queen is slated for release on September 11, 2022. The Serpent Queen, made by Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment, will supposedly exclusively air on Starz. No information about the show’s availability on other video-on-demand services has been released.
The cast of The Serpent Queen
Samantha Morton, an English actress who has won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe, plays the notorious Catherine de Medici. Clare Anderson played Morton’s first on-screen character in the 1991 television drama Soldier Soldier. She portrayed Harriet Smith in the 1996 television adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma five years later. She played the title role in the 1997 TV period drama film Jane Eyre the following year. In the critically acclaimed science fiction movie Minority Report in 2002, she starred as the enigmatic precog Agatha Lively opposite Tom Cruise.
For her performance in the drama In America in 2002, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Later, she contributed to several historical dramas, such as The Libertine, River Queen, Longford, and Elizabeth : The Golden Age. Along with these projects, Morton has appeared in The Walking Dead, Harlots, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Last Panthers, Cosmopolis, and The Last Panthers. The movies She Said and The Whale, vying for awards, are coming up for Morton.
Other details :
Actress Amrita Acharia, a Norwegian, English, and Ukrainian, is Aabis. In 2010 Acharia began his acting career with small parts in television shows and short films. She was in the 2011 Game of Thrones season as Irri, the Dothraki servant of Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen. She portrayed the lead role in the 2013 Norwegian movie I Am Yours (Jeg er din). Aside from Black Dog, Acharia has also appeared in The Sister, The Good Karma Hospital, Acquitted (Frikjent), and The Sister.
Cosimo Ruggeri, an Italian astrologer and occultist who advises Catherine de Medici is by English actor Enzo Cilenti. Cilenti’s debut in 1998 as Antonio Bellini in the television series Trial & Retribution. He played Lenny, a supporting character, in the 2001 comedy Late Night Shopping, and Carlo Franceschini, a minor character, in the BBC spy drama MI-5. Along with these roles, Cilenti has also appeared in several other movies and television programs, including Prisoners’ Wives, Supercollider, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Theory of Everything, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Jekyll & Hyde, Game of Thrones, Les Misérables, and Across the River and Into the Trees.
English actor Nicholas Burns portrays King Antoine of Navarre. The Huguenots, in a religious conflict, are opposing Catherine de Medici. Before landing the character of Nick Mayer in Absolute Power and taking over the show Nathan Barley in 2005, Burns received his first role in the early 2000s. Later, he appeared in Marley’s Ghosts, Roman’s Empire, No Heroics, Man Strike Woman, and Benidorm comedies. He also appeared in Censor, The Crown, Emma, and Ghost Stories.
The plot of The Serpent Queen
The legendary life and rule of Catherine de Medici are in The Serpent Queen. The television series will bring history to life and is based on Frieda’s nonfiction biography of the king. It is also evident that the series will take creative liberties with artistic aspects. A brief biography of Catherine’s ascent to power is provided here.
In Florence, Italy, Catherine was born into the Medici dynasty but was there as a baby, according to Britannica. Her uncle, the Pope, arranged her fourteen-year-old marriage. In 1547, Catherine got hitched to the future King of France, Henry II. Catherine continued to give birth to the king’s children despite Henry having a lover Diane de Poitiers.
When King Henry died abruptly, Catherine’s firstborn son Francis II seized the throne. Catherine then sought to extend her power during the French Wars of Religion. The Huguenots, Calvinist Protestants who pushed for reform of the Catholic Church, threatened other political authorities who had strong ties to the religious institution by instigating the wars. Catholic Catherine de Medici and her son battled to maintain their control over the monarchy. She utilized her authority as queen consort to promote her associates to positions of influence, issue decrees, and arrange significant marriages when the throne passed to her other sons, Charles IX and Henry.
Trailer
On July 28, 2022, The Serpent Queen’s official trailer was available on the Starz YouTube channel. Observe it presently below.
The first words Catherine de’ Medici speaks, which also serves as the audience’s initial introduction to her character, are “If you don’t give your adversaries a lesson, they’ll never learn.” Viewers are given a condensed timeline of Catherine’s rise to power in the trailer. She breaks the fourth wall by talking directly to the audience and camera during the recount of her early years. She describes how, despite being a marriage of convenience by the Pope, she fell in love with Prince Henry. However, her joy was fleeting since she soon learned that her husband had fallen in love with someone else. Catherine took hold of her as her already icy heart began to melt.
FAQs :
Who was the Serpent Queen, exactly ?
Of course, that subject is Catherine de Medici, one of the most influential women in 16th-century Europe who ruled as Queen of France for 15 years before continuing to influence society through many sons for the remainder of the century.
The Serpent Queen: Why was Catherine Medici dubbed that ?
Catherine de Medici dubbed the “Serpent Queen” for her cunning methods (she had a penchant for poison), was once one of the world’s most influential women.
The Serpent Queen: Is it a joke ?
The Serpent Queen, a new historical drama on Starz, is a show for viewers who enjoy moral turpitude and dark humor combined with lovely period settings and costumes.
Is the Serpent Queen based on a true story ?
An anticipated American period drama television program, The Serpent Queen, will center on Catherine de Medici’s life. Based on Leonie Frieda’s nonfiction book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France, published in 2004, Justin Haythe wrote the script. On September 11, 2022, Starz will broadcast the series debut.
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