Hulu's 'The Great' Will Fill the "The Favourite'-Shaped Hole in Your Life
Oscar-winning film The Favourite turned the concept of the period drama film on its head, introducing a sly, hilarious take on the genre that still managed to use its period story to convey a worthwhile message to modern audiences. (Also, it was just fun as heck to watch.) Now upcoming Hulu series The Great aims to do something similar for television, telling a small screen story of the early life of the girl who would one day become Russian empress Catherine the Great, but filling it with plenty of laughs and some seriously biting satire along the way.
If the tone and feel of this story is familiar - it should be. The Great comes to us from the mind of Tony McNamara, who wrote The Favorite, so it's safe to say he knows a little something about putting a more modern spin on a traditionally historical costume drama.
Elle Fanning stars as the young Catherine (or Princess Sophie, as she was known then), who arrives in Russia from Germany in 1745 in order to marry the boy who would one day become Tsar Peter III. Naive and sheltered, she's hoping for a handsome prince and a bright future. Unfortunately, she gets Peter instead - played by Nicholas Hoult, who actually appeared in The Favourite - a virtual man-child who is more interested in throwing ridiculous parties and flinging dogs off balconies in parachutes than become a leader. So, like so many women before - and after her - Catherine realizes that if she wants a place for herself in the world, she's going to have to make it for herself.
