Starz has released a poster and trailer for historical drama The Serpent Queen. Based on Leonie Frieda’s book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France, the series stars Samantha Morton as the nefarious Catherine de Medici and tells the story of her life and rise to power as she become one of the longest-serving rulers in French history; take a look here…
A historical drama with an edge, “The Serpent Queen” puts a contemporary spin on conventional storytelling to tell the tale of Catherine de Medici’s (Morton) rise to power. In the series premiere, “Medici Bitch,” Catherine’s tale unfolds through flashbacks as she defends her actions and imparts the lessons she’s learned to her new servant confident, Rahima (Sennia Nanua, The Girl with All the Gifts, Frankie).
At 14, the young, orphaned Catherine (Liv Hill, “Three Girls,” Jellyfish) marries into the 16th-century French court. Despite her commoner status, her uncle Pope Clement (Charles Dance, “Game of Thrones,” “The Crown”), has negotiated a large dowry and a geopolitical alliance in return for the union, and with it comes the expectation of many heirs. However, on her wedding night, Catherine learns that her new husband is in love with Diane de Poitiers (Ludivine Sagnier, “Lupin,” “The Young Pope”), a beautiful lady-in-waiting twice his age.
With her future suddenly uncertain and with little hope of conceiving, Catherine must quickly learn who she can trust – both within her personal entourage of courtiers and the members of the royal court – while outmanoeuvring anyone who underestimates her determination to survive at any cost.
Joining Samantha Morton in the cast of The Serpent Queen are Charles Dance, Sennia Nanua, Colm Meaney, Kiruna Stamell, Barry Atsma, Alex Heath, Amrita Acharia, Enzo Cilenti, Antonia Clarke, Adam Garcia, Beth Goddard, Raza Jaffrey, Ray Panthaki, Nicholas Burns, Danny Kirrane, and Rupert Everett.
The Serpent Queen premieres on September 11th.
