'Bridgerton' Queen Charlotte Spinoff Cast to Include Michelle Fairley

Bridgerton has barely had its second season out for a week, and the streaming service is already prepping to make more. Not Bridgerton Season 3, though that is expected to start filming later this year or early next. This is the spinoff prequel series focused on the primary character addition to the show that allowed it to radically depart from the books: Queen Charlotte. The prequel is currently billed as a "limited series," meaning that it will be a one-off story and focus on the Georgian era that preceded the Regency period and the love lives of the Queen (Golda Rosheuval), Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), and Lady Violet (Ruth Gemmell).

Like Queen Charlotte, the Bridgerton series has done a lot to build up Lady Danbury from the novels, where she is less of a character presence and more of a single thread of connective tissue that links every single entry in Julia Quinn's romance series into a single Regency universe. Seasons 1 and 2 have already put the character front and center for more than she is on the page. The prequel will likewise build up an entire backstory for her, including giving her a first name, something I don't remember the books ever mentioning.

As for Lady Violet, her story with Edward (Rupert Evans) has never been told, despite the fact that she appears throughout the Bridgerton novels and the related prequels, The Rokesby Series. Quinn told readers it's because their love story was too perfect in her head; to write it down would find the flaws. With no actor listed to play a Young Violet, that may continue to be true. Though the Rokesby books cover the same period as the limited series, the new show is penned by Shonda Rhimes, and sources say it is a creation all her own, so fans shouldn't get their hopes too high about meeting Billie, Georgiana, or Poppy Bridgerton.

Here's the show's logline:

Centered on Queen Charlotte's rise to prominence and power, this Bridgerton-verse prequel tells the story of how the young Queen's marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton.

Rosheuval, Andoh, and Gemmell will reprise their roles from Bridgerton, as will Hugh Sachs, who plays Charlotte's right-hand Brimsley in the main series. The new cast will feature India Amarteifio (Line of Duty) as Young Queen Charlotte, and newcomer Corey Mylchreest (Netflix's forthcoming Sandman) plays Young King George. Sam Clemmett (Endeavour) plays Young Brimsley. Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones) plays Dowager Princess Augusta, George's mother, who never became Queen as her husband, Prince Frederick, died before taking the throne. The description of her character suggests she will be the series' main antagonist.

Newcomer Arsema Thomas plays Young Agatha Danbury and Cyril Nri (The ABC Murders) as Lord Danbury, the much older husband who controls her life. Other new faces include Richard Cunningham (The Larkins), Tunji Kasim (Nancy Drew), and Rob Maloney (Coronation Street). 

The Bridgerton Queen Charlotte-focused prequel is currently untitled, but production has begun, with the first table read occurring at the end of March 2022. Fans will hopefully see the new series come 2023.