“Outlander,” “The Luminaries,” “The White Princess,” “The Spanish Princess,” “The White Queen,” “Centennial,” no one seems to love their period dramas more than STARZ. They already have a “Dangerous Liaisons” series in the works, but coming before that will be the upcoming Tudor drama “Becoming Elizabeth,” exploring the fascinating, untold story of the early life of England’s most iconic Queen.
Today, Starz announced a Sunday, June 12 premiere and released the first trailer and poster. The series stars Alicia von Rittberg (“Fury,” “Charité,”“Genius”), Oliver Zetterström (“The Midnight Gang”, “The Romanoffs”) and Romola Garai (“The Hour,” “The Miniaturist”).
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Long before she ascended the throne, young Elizabeth Tudor, played by Alicia von Rittberg (Fury, “Charité,” “Genius”), was an orphaned teenager who became embroiled in the political and sexual politics of the English court. The death of King Henry VIII sees his nine-year-old son Edward, played by Oliver Zetterström (The Midnight Gang, “The Romanoffs”), take the throne and sets into motion a dangerous scramble for power when Elizabeth, Edward, and their sister Mary, played by Romola Garai (“The Hour,” “The Miniaturist”) find themselves pawns in a game between the great families of England and the powers of Europe who vie for control of the country.
Additional key players in the relentless quest for power include King Henry’s widow, Catherine Parr, played by Jessica Raine (“The Informer,” “Patrick Melrose”), Thomas Seymour, played by Tom Cullen (Weekend, “Black Mirror”), the new King’s uncle, who quickly marries the widowed Catherine but soon takes an interest in the teenage Elizabeth and Duke of Somerset, played by John Heffernan (“The Pursuit of Love,” “The Crown”), who loses no time in claiming the position of Lord Protector for himself when the old King dies.
The upcoming drama series also stars Jamie Blackley (“Greed,” “The Last Kingdom”), Alexandra Gilbreath (Tulip Fever, RSC’s “Provoked Wife”), Jamie Parker (1917, “Harry Potter and The Cursed Child”), Leo Bill (Rare Beasts, In Fabric), Bella Ramsey (“Game of Thrones,” “The Last of Us”), Ekow Quartey (“This Way Up,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at Shakespeare’s Globe), Alex Macqueen (“Sally4Ever,” “Peaky Blinders”) and Olivier Huband (“I Hate Suzie,” “A Discovery of Witches”).
“Becoming Elizabeth” is created and written by award-winning playwright and television screenwriter Anya Reiss (“Spur of the Moment,” The Acid Test), who also serves as executive producer with The Forge’s George Ormond (“National Treasure,” “Great Expectations”) and George Faber (“Shameless,” STARZ’s “The White Queen”) with Lisa Osborne (“Little Dorrit,” “Man in an Orange Shirt”) producing.
“Becoming Elizabeth” premieres Sunday, June 12 at midnight on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms, and internationally on the STARZPLAY premium streaming platform across all territories. On linear, it will debut on STARZ at 9:00 ET/PT in the U.S. and Canada. Watch the first trailer below.