Tudor drama series will tell story of Queen Elizabeth I’s early years
Starz has ordered a new television series about the younger years of Queen Elizabeth I.
The eight-part drama, titled Becoming Elizabeth, is created by playwright and TV screenwriter Anya Reiss.
Reiss commented: “Drama seems to skip straight from Henry VIII’s turnstile of wives to an adult white faced Gloriana. Missing out boy kings, religious fanatics, secret affairs and a young orphaned teenager trying to save herself from the vicious scramble to the top.”
She added: “I should have found it hard to relate to 500 year old royalty but Elizabeth lived in dangerous, polarising times and often made terrible hormone-fuelled decisions. I’ve found writing her story a thrilling experience.”
The life of Queen Elizabeth I was most recently brought to our screens in 2018’s Mary, Queen of Scots movie, in which she was played by Margot Robbie.
The official synopsis for Becoming Elizabeth reads: “Long before she ascended the throne, young Elizabeth Tudor was an orphaned teenager who became embroiled in the political and sexual politics of the English court. With no clear heir, the death of King Henry the VIII sets into motion a dangerous scramble for power.
“His surviving children 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 series will depict Elizabeth’s struggles to control her own destiny and take real power as the men around her attempt to claim her sovereignty.”
Starz CEO Jeffrey A. Hirsch said: “The world of Becoming Elizabeth is visceral and dangerous – judgments are rendered quickly and no one is safe. This series explores the Tudor Reign and young Elizabeth, who would become England’s ‘Gloriana’ and one of history’s most dynamic figures, through a new lens which we think viewers will find highly engaging.”
Becoming Elizabeth is expected to premiere towards the end of 2020 on Starz in the US and on StarzPlay in the UK.
The complete box set of The Tudors is available on Amazon.