Although the previous effort was godawful (the unwatchable Becoming Elizabeth from Starz with atrociously bad lead actress, dreary visuals and no story) we will see old Bess again on the small screens, or, to be more precise, not old but young as Grey’s Anatomy showrunners Joan Rater, Tony Phelan and William Harper are creating a six episode historical series MAJESTY for ITV. It will present a reimagination of the life of a young Elizabeth I and her place in the court of King Henry VIII, based on conspiracy theories which surrounded her as a young woman. Was the Virgin Queen hiding a profound secret? And how did this overlooked, embattled princess become the most powerful ruler England has ever known? James Strong will be helming the drama next year with Studiocanal handling the international distribution.
Here is an exclusive for you today, my spylings: you are the first one to see, outside of sweet mother Russia, the first images of wildly gorgeous Yuliya Peresild as empress Elizabeth of Russia. The images are from the
Yuliya Peresild as Elizabeth of Russia
upcoming new historical movie THE EMPRESSES (Императрицы) directed and penned by famous Andrey Kravchuk who previously gave us glorious epic movies The Admiral, Viking, Union of Salvation andPeter I: The Last Tsar(with this film effectively being the sequel or a continuation of that one). As you know Elisabeth or Elizaveta was the daughter of Peter the Great, but it took her almost two decades to inherit her father's throne as the period after his death was marked by a long turmoil which saw four people ruling Russia, among them three women, including Elisabeth's mother Catherine I who was the first ever empress of Russia. After ascending to the throne finally in 1741 at the age of 33, Elisabeth ruled the vast empire for almost two decades and was then succeeded by her daughter in law Catherine the Great. Scheduled to premiere on October 26th, the film also stars Ivan Kolesnikov as Peter I, Igor Gordin, Anna Ukolova, Eduard Orlov and others.
THE STORY OF THE FILM
After the death of Peter the Great, the era of palace coups begins - a
time of intrigue and a struggle for power. Little Elizabeth already
knows that the world is not a wish-granting factory. She is not destined
to become the queen of France, because after the death of Peter I,
Louis XV breaks all past agreements. And for the throne of the Russian
Empire there is a real struggle, and no one even jokingly considers the
candidacy of the young princess. The movie will show how the empire
changed along with the change of heads of state. Why did it turn out to
be an impossible task for many to continue the work of Peter I? What
price will Elizabeth Petrovna, the youngest daughter of the great
monarch, have to pay to take her place in history? And what can a woman
on the throne give Russia? The title of the film is in plural because
it will also cover the rule of Catherine I (Kseniya Utekhina) and Anna
Ivanovna. After the rule of Peter the Great, Russia was ruled for 70
years by women, even though before him there were no females at the
throne. Stay tuned as I will be covering more international period set
projects in the upcoming weeks.
RYURIK EPIC SERIES
ON FIRST RUSSIAN DYNASTY
Ryrik will be an eight part historical saga
Speaking of wonderful Andrey Kravchuk, he is currently also preparing eight part historical series RYURIK (Рюрик)! The story begins in the IX century at Lake Ladoga just across from Scandinavia at dark and troubled time of mages and witches, callous gods and ancestral curses, princes and knights, betrayal, feasts and bloody wars. Such time calls for a true hero, Rorik, the slave who grew up in exile without a father, in poverty and contempt, the descendant of the Vikings and the initiator of the first great Russian royal dynasty. The boy destined to become the ruler and influence the history of the world.
As Deadline reports, Henry VIII historical movie drama FIREBRAND in which Jude Law will play the king and Alicia Vikander the protagonist, his last wife Katherine Parr, has finalised the court entourage: Sam Riley and Eddie Marsan will portray noble brothers Thomas and Edward Seymour
Alicia Vikander and Jude Law will lead the cast
who loathed each other. Their sister Jane Seymour was Henry VIII’s third wife. Thomas Seymour and Katherine Parr were sweethearts before Parr caught Henry’s eye. After the monarch’s death, Thomas and Katherine were reunited. Film follows the marriage of Katherine to Henry, his sixth and final wife, and how she fell foul of her husband’s courtiers — namely his key adviser
Sam Riley and Simon Russell Beale take the supporting roles
Stephen Gardiner, the Bishop of Winchester, played by Simon Russell Beale. Hunting for high profile heretics, he sent Protestant martyr Anne Askew (Erin Doherty) to the Tower of London, hoping she would betray the queen. Katherine, a noted scholar and author, surrounded herself with a loyal entourage who watched out for her. The queen knew how to out-fox powerful
Junia Rees, Patsy Feran, Erin Doherty will also star in the film
adversaries and survive plots on her life. Katherine’s ladies will be played by Ruby Bentall as Cat, Bryony Hannah as Ellen, and Maia Jemmett as Dot. Queen Katherine formed a close bond with her step-daughters, Princess Mary (Patsy Ferran) and Princess Elizabeth (Junia Rees)!
Your Spy is bringing you our traditional list of all the period set series to expect in the upcoming new year. We have a few ultra exclusive pics (Tom Jones, Hotel Portofino etc) and if you click on the links within the sections you will find out more about the series.
LORD OF THE RINGS
Without any doubt the most anticipated of the 2022 new epic shows and also, with the budget of over half a billion dollar, the most expensive
series ever made is LORD OF THE RINGS which arrives to Amazon with
The second season is moving production over to UK from New Zealand
the
first eight part season September 2nd. Set thousands of years before the events of the films, it will
follow a group of characters as they confront the re-emergence of evil
in Middle-earth. Morfydd Clark plays young queen Galadriel, and the
second season is in works too.
SERIES FROM STARZ
Starz, the usual home of lavish epic dramas, is bringing us three of them this year: SERPENT QUEEN in which Samantha Mortonplays
famous
First photo from the sets of The Serpent Queen in France
Catherine de Medici with Colm Meaney as her hubby King Francis
and Charles Dance as the pope . They also have a prequel to cult
DANGEROUS LIAISONS 18th century French story with Alice Englert and Nicholas
John Heffernan as Duke of Somerset in Becoming Elizabeth
Denton as leads. Their BECOMING ELIZABETHwill reveal young years of the Virgin Queen with Alicia von Rittberg, Tom Cullen, Romola Garai, Jessica Raine, Jamie Blackley in the cast.
SHOGUN AT FX
FX
has started production (which will last till April) on their small
screen version of SHOGUN which means we might get it at the end of the
year.
Cosmo Jarvis takes the lead role in new Shogun
Cosmo Jarvistakes the lead
role a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a
land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him! Hiroyuki
Sanada will be Lord Toranaga.
SERIES FROM GREAT BRITAIN
BBC is bringing us Connor Swindells, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Alen in SAS ROGUE HEROES six part series on the creation of the famed Special Forces Unit. We might also get, over at ITV, a new version of
Henry Fielding's
SAS Rogue Heroes will probably arrive rather soon to BBC
TOM JONES from the Poldark team. Solly McLeod plays
the poor foundling in the story of the young man's complicated journey
to find love and
Exclusive first look at Solly McLeod as Tom Jones
success in 18th century England. BBC is also bringing
us GALLOWS POLE which follows
a development of a criminal enterprise set against the backdrop of the
coming industrial revolution in 18th century Yorkshire, with George
Ultra exclusive first look at the cast of Hotel Portofino
Mackay, Tom Burke and Michael Socha in the cast. ITV and BRITBOX will
air HOTEL PORTOFINO 1920s Italian riviera set mini series starring Natascha McElhone, Anna Chancellor and Lorenzo Richelmy.
THE ESSEX SERPENT
Apple has Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston leading six part THE ESSEX SERPENT which follows newly widowed Cora, who, having been
released from an abusive marriage, relocates from Victorian London to
the
Claire Danes will sport a lot of interesting costumes in the series
small village of Aldwinter in Essex, intrigued by a local
superstition that a mythical creature known as the Essex Serpent has
returned to the area.
WILD WEST SET SERIES
We
are probably most interested in BBC produced and Emily Blunt, Rafe
Spall, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Hughes, Stephen Rea, Toby Jones starring THE
ENGLISHsix part saga
about a woman who seeks revenge on the man
First look at Matthias Schoenaerts as Django
she sees as responsible for
the death of her son in the Wild West. Rival Sky is bringing us DJANGO
in which Matthias Schoenaerts plays a
gunslinger in the Wild West who is searching for his daughter who he
believes escaped the
Douglas Booth and Dominic Cooper in That Dirty Black Bag series
murder of his family eight years ago. Tom Austen,
Noomi Rapace also star. AMC has THAT DIRTY BLACK BAG a raw, epic and
romantic spaghetti western series
about the dark side of the Far West. Travis Fimmel,
Tom Blyth as Billy the Kid in new Epix historical series
Douglas Booth,
Dominic Cooper and Aidan Gillen star. Epix will have BILLY THE KID
series in which Tom Blyth plays the young gangster. It comes from Michael Hirst.
WILLOW AT DISNEY PLUS
Disney Plus has a new remake of the famous 80s cult classic WILLOW ready for 2022. Warwick Davis returns as a dwarf farmer who does magic.
First look at the cast that is shooting Willow over in UK
The story will take place years after the events of the film bringing new characters to the enchanted realm of fairy queens and two headed Eborsisk monsters! Ellie Bamber leads the now femalecentric cast.
NEW HBO EPIC SERIES
HBO is
of course headlining its epic offer with Game of Thrones spin off
series HOUSE OF THE DRAGON! Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith,
Rhys Ifans, Ryan Corr, Graham McTavish, lead the new saga
House of the Dragon is a Game of Thrones spin off
following the
story of the House Targaryen set 200 years before the events of the
original series. In January, HBO is bringing us Julian Fellowes
Gilded Age comes from Downton Abbey's Julian Fellowes
produced
costume drama THE GILDED AGE set in the 19th century golden age of New
York and following the clash between the new business families
Sarah Lancashire is famous cook Julia Child
and old
aristocrats. They will also air JULIA series in which Sarah Lancashire
plays famous TV cook Julia Child. David Hyde Pierce plays her husband.
BOUNDLESS AT AMAZON
Amazon will take us on a sail across the seas in historical four episode saga BOUNDLESS in which Alvaro Morte and Rodrigo Santoro play
Rodrigo Santoro plays the lead role in Boundless series
Juan Sebastián Elcano and Ferdinand Magellan whose epic voyage around the world after they set sail from Spain 500 years ago is in the focus of the story.
EPIC SERIES ON NETFLIX
World's
most popular streamer will launch this spring THE EMPRESSseries on
Austrian empress Sisi starring Devrim Lignau and Philip
The imperial couple in The Empress series on Sisi of Austria
Froissant as the
imperial couple. They also have our dearest boys Leo Suter, David Oakes
and Sam Corlett in VIKINGS: VALHALLAwhich
Valhalla already has the second season shot and done!
arrives February, set 100
years after Vikings series and centering on the adventures of Leif
Erikson, Freydis, Harald Hardrada and the Norman King
Blood Origin is a six part prequel to Witcher series
William the
Conqueror. They also have BLOOD ORIGIN prequel to their popular Witcher,
with Laurence O'Fuarain and Michelle Yeoh leading
The cast aboard the ship in spooky series 1899
the cast of the series set in an elven world 1,200 years before the original show,
centering on the origins of the very first Witcher. 1899 will be set on a
19th century spooky voyage ship whose journey becomes a trip to
nightmare.
EPIC SERIES FROM FRANCE
Another queen awaits us in Canal + series MARIE ANTOINETTE which will see Emilia Schuleplaying the 18th century queen with James
First look at the queen of France in Marie Antoinette
Purefoy also in the cast. Isabelle Adjani will play DIANE DE POITIERS in the two part series on the famous lover of French king Henry II, the
Isabelle Adjani is the royal mistress in Diane de Poitiers
husband of the above mentioned Catherine de Medici. They also have AND MOUNTAINS WILL BLOOM a six episode family saga set in 1837 in Provence with Guillaume Arnault in the lead.
EPIC SERIES FROM RUSSIA
Russians
are bringing us a historical saga on their tzarina ELIZAVETA in which
Yulia Khlynina plays the heiress of Peter the Great. They also have Ilya
Malakov playing a Russian boy who ends up in Turkish
First look at the tzarina Elizaveta in the new Russian epic saga
sultan's army in
RUSSIAN PRISONER saga, and also DECEMBER in which Alexander Petrovplays famous poet Yesenin in his last days when he was in love with Isadora
Duncan, the famous dancer. You will also see Ivan
Our boo Ily Malakov is Russian Prisoner
Bosilychich in
CASANOVA IN RUSSIAwhere he is seducing Catherine the Great and LAND OF
LEGENDS in which Alexander Kuznetsov play 15th century prince Mikhail
who tries to unite the people of Rus.
GERMAN PERIOD SET SERIES
Coming from Germany next year we have a number of period set dramas. HOUSE OF PROMISES, set in the 1920s Berlin inside a newly
First look at the cast of House of Promises series
opened department store. BONN will, meanwhile, be a six-part political thriller about the rise of Germany’s Federal Republic after the terror of WW2.
Hotel Europe will air sometime next year on German ARD
HOTEL EUROPA will be set between WW1 and WW2 in a hotel on the Rhine which hosted some of the most famous names of that time including Hitler and Charlie Chaplin. Currently we've no news on upcoming historical series coming from Italy or Spain, so if you have any info contact us freely!
We are starting the week after our massive list of all the epic shows to expect till the end of the year, with yet another truly epic project: as Variety reports, Aidan Gillen is set to star in new eight episode epic TV series THE
Aiden Gillen will star in the series
O'NEILL on Gaelic greatest hero Hugh O'Neill. Stephen Saint Leger of Vikings and Barbarians will helm. Tim Loane (Versailles, Das Boot) will be the show runner for Dublin's Revolution Media.
THE O'NEILL follows Ireland’s O’Neill dynasty, its most powerful Gaelic
lordship, as in 1560 a nine year old Hugh O’Neill is taken from his
native Ireland and groomed as an English Lord at the English Court where
he forms a tight bond with the future Queen Elizabeth I, only 10 years
his senior.
Sent back to Ireland after he came of age to govern for the crown, he
has to decide between becoming an English landlord or a Gaelic warlord.
His decision would mark the greatest threat to England sovereignty until
WWII. Aidan Gillen will play Sir Henry Bagnal, Marshall of Elizabeth
I’s Royal Irish Army and O’Neill’s bitter arch enemy. Hugh O’Neill
managed to unite the clans and start the Nine Years War becoming a sort
of a
The O'Neill is envisioned as a four season TV series
rock star for the people of Europe of that time. Many of the clans
in the series will have female leaders such as Ineen Dubh of the
O’Donnells and Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen of The O’Malley,
Although we've seen her in both of the recent series on Catherine the Great, her mother in law empress ELIZABETH is getting her own historical saga on Russia 1 this Autumn! Yuliya Hlinina plays Empress Elizabeth,
Elizabeth will be a new Russian series on the famous czarina
daughter of Peter I, who was only sixteen when her father left her in control of a huge empire. For Elizabeth, the throne became a curse: against her will, the girl finds herself drawn into a whirlpool of palace intrigues, where she is opposed by influential courtiers!
AUSTRIAN EMPRESS SISI
She won't be the only empress getting a series as German TVNow will air new six part saga SISI, probably for Holidays. It follows the extraordinary life of empress Elisabeth of Austria (Dominique Devenport). Told from the
Sisi will probably air for Holidays on ORF in Austria
perspective of her closest confidants, the 19th century set series takes a new look at the empress' life and reveals a multi-layered woman. Jannik Schumann is emperor Franz.
ISAAC ASIMOV'S FOUNDATION
The only intergalactic sf epic action series we will get this season is FOUNDATION which will arrive to Apple TV September 24th in ten episodes. Starring Lee Pace, Jared Harris and Daniel MacPherson, this
Foundation starts at the end of the month at Apple TV Plus
small screen adaptation of Asimov's cult series is a complex saga of humans scattered on planets throughout the galaxy all living under the rule of the Galactic Empire.
RIDLEY ROAD AT BBC
BBC is secretive about their programme as usual, but I did spy with my little eye that their new series RIDLEY ROAD might be arriving this October. Starring our dear Tom Varey, the four-part series blends 60s
Tom Varey takes the male lead in Ridley Road
period romance with darker, more socially conscious intrigue in the story of a young Jewish hairdresser (Agnes O'Casey) who arrives wide-eyed in London and becomes caught up in the anti-fascist movement of the city’s East End!
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
BBC will also present us with their new version of Jules Verne's AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, probably around Christmas. The series will premiere at Canneseries in October! The eight part drama follows David Tennant as Phileas Fogg and his newly employed French valet
The series will probably be a holiday series for BBC
Passepartout as they attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days as part of an outrageous bet. Along the way they’re joined by an aspiring journalist, Abigail Fix, who seizes the opportunity to report on the legendary journey. Production finished in March.
VIKINGS VALHALLA SPINOFF
Netflix still has this one set for 2021 although they might postpone it as they have Witcher in December. Or it might arrive in November? VALHALLA did finish post production last month and they've apparently started production on season 2! Starring our boos David Oakes, Leo Suter
David Oake in the first photo from the sets!
and Sam Corlett, it is set 100 years after the original series ends and chronicles the exploits of the most famous Vikings of all time – Leif Erikson, Freydis, Harald Harada, and Norman King William the Conqueror! Michael Hirst is producing.
RUSSIAN PRISONER
The Prisoner will be a 12 episode saga
Russian broadcaster is ready to bring us a new 12 episode lavish saga RUSSIAN PRISONER following Alekha (Ilya Malakov) an honest, strong, freedom loving
Cossack who decided to fulfill his father's last will. As a result, he
goes to a foreign land in order to bow to the Virgin Mary. By the will of fate, he finds himself in the palace of the Sultan Mehmed (Serbian star Ivan Bosiljcic) of the Ottoman Empire where he is taken prisoner and sent to become one of the evil Jannisaries and must serve the sultan he hates. More here.
NEW GOLD MOUNTAIN
Is coming to us from Australian SBS October 13th and I already showed you the trailer. Starring our handsome boy Yoson An, four part series NEW GOLD MOUNTAIN is set in 1857, where the charismatic headman of the
New Gold Mountain will be coming to us from Australia
Chinese mining camp struggles to maintain the fragile harmony between Chinese and European diggers when a murdered European woman is discovered to have links to the Chinese community.
THE GILDED AGE AT HBO
This one also might be pushed again, but the ten episode HBO series THE GILDED AGE from Julian Fellowes did finish production. Starring Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Blake Ritson, Harry
Gilded Age might arrive this year to HBO
Richardson, Thomas Cocquerel, Nathan Lane and many others, it will follow a number of rich families during the Gilded Age, the boom years of 1880s New York City.
LAND OF LEGENDS SERIES
Land of Legends will also be a film
Also coming from Russia till the end of the year, with Beta Film distributing worldwide, is LAND OF LEGENDS, an epic, visually stunning series based on an Alexei Ivanov novel, combining historical drama with mystery and fantasy. The 15th century. Sent from Moscow, Prince Yermolay wants to unite all peoples of Perm, Christians and pagans alike. To do so, he, a Christian, seizes the pagans' most powerful artefact, the Golden Woman, or Sorni Nai, only to be killed in battle shortly thereafter. His son Mikhail (Aleksandr Kuznetsov), however, gains the respect of the locals and marries Tiche, a beautiful, yet mysterious woman.
Grand Prince Mikhail is the lead character in the series
Little does he know that Tiche is the living incarnation of the Sorni Nai: Her supernatural powers and their bond grant him control over Perm.
THE WHEEL OF TIME
The only epic fantasy series we are getting this year will arrive to Amazon November 19th! Set in a high fantasy world where magic exists, but only some can access it, eight part THE WHEEL OF TIME will see Rosamund Pike
Rosamund Pike leads the cast of Wheel of Time series
playing a woman named Moiraine who crosses paths with five young men and women. This sparks a dangerous, world-spanning journey. Based on the book series by Robert Jordan. See trailer here.
PARAMOUNT TV'S 1883 SERIES
Although it is still in production Paramount TV has announced December 19th as the starting date of their new 1883 historical ten part series which will be a prequel to their Yellowstone drama. Starring Tim McGraw,
1883 is a Yellowstone prequel series at Paramount TV
Faith Hill, this Taylor Sheridan produced series follows the Dutton family on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America.
SERIES THAT MIGHT ALSO ARRIVE
There
are a few series that according to my knowledge have finished shooting
but I'm not sure if they will arrive till the end of year: Keeley
First pic of Keeley in Midwich Cuckoos series
Hawes'
THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS at Sky, Emily Blunt's THE ENGLISH Western at BBC
and also their SAS: ROGUE HEROES with Jack O'Connell.
CATHEDRAL & PETER THE GREAT
Russian television is ready to start airing 16 part historical saga THE CATHEDRAL this Autumn! The story is set in the year 1700, the time of dramatic changes in the Russian Empire, the time of reformations carried out
The Cathedral will air on Russian National Broadcaster
by Peter the Great. Sergey Marin plays young serf Ivan Starshov is head over heels in love with Maria, the daughter of his master. He doesn't want to accept that the young princess is no match for him and prove his love he will even dedicate her a cathedral in the imperial capital.
THE HOTEL SACHER
This two season historical series aired on German ZDF and Austrian ORF four years ago, but it is airing from September 10, on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel and the Walter Presents digital channels. Set in the city of Vienna around 1900, it tells the story of Anna Sacher (Ursula
Hotel Sacher aired in two season in Germany and Austria
Strauss), the widow of Eduard Sacher, who was the founder and owner of the Hotel Sacher, and the son of Franz Sacher, inventor of the famous Sachertorte. The story begins with Eduard’s death and Anna’s tough decision to take over the management of the Hotel.
historical series MAJESTY for ITV. It will present a reimagination of the life of a young Elizabeth I and her place in the court of King Henry VIII, based on conspiracy theories which surrounded her as a young woman. Was the Virgin Queen hiding a profound secret? And how did this overlooked, embattled princess become the most powerful ruler England has ever known? James Strong will be helming the drama next year with Studiocanal handling the international distribution.
historical series MAJESTY for ITV. It will present a reimagination of the life of a young Elizabeth I and her place in the court of King Henry VIII, based on conspiracy theories which surrounded her as a young woman. Was the Virgin Queen hiding a profound secret? And how did this overlooked, embattled princess become the most powerful ruler England has ever known? James Strong will be helming the drama next year with Studiocanal handling the international distribution.
