Starz Series 'Mary & George' Will Unleash a Royal Scandal This April
Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine in "Mary & George"
(Photo: Starz)
Starz has set a premiere date for its scandalous new period drama Mary & George, which aims to tell the story of the audacious Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham, a cunning and powerful woman who used her devastatingly handsome son to seduce the King of England and, in doing so, gained a remarkable amount of power for herself. A former AMC production, the series has found itself a new broadcast home on the premium cable network, which honestly feels like a much better fit given its longstanding penchant for female-fronted historical series. (See also: The Serpent Queen, The Spanish Princess, The White Princess)
The Villiers family rose from relatively humble beginnings on the back of Mary's scheming saw them rise to become the most titled and influential family in King James I's court. She arranged marriages, colluded with essentially groomed her son George as a potential partner for the king, whose interest in men was an open (if generally unspoken) secret at the time.
George became James's lover and his status as a royal favorite came with plenty of rewards. He was appointed Lord High Admiral of England and had the dukedom of Buckinghamshire recreated for him, making him the first commoner elevated to such a position in a century. He remained at the height of royal favor throughout James' reign and even into that of his son, King Charles I, until he was assassinated by an army officer in 1628.
Oscar winner Julianne Moore (May December) plays the ruthless Mary, alongside Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White, and Royal Blue) as her naive, romantic son and Tony Curran (Mayflies) as James, a monarch whose desire for ambitious and beautiful young men puts him dangerously at risk of being exploited by those around him.
Alongside Moore and Galitzine, the series's stacked ensemble cast includes Tony Curran (Mayflies) as King James I, Nicola Walker (Annika) as Lady Halton, Niam Algar (The Wonder) as Sandie, Trine Dyrholm (The Legacy) as Queen Anne, Sean Gilder (Poldark) as Sir Thomas Compton, and Simon Russell Beale (Operation Mincemeat) as Sir George Villiers.
Other notable cast members include Adrian Rawlins (Chernobyl) as Sir Edward Coke, Mark O’Halloran (Devils) as Sir Francis Bacon, Samuel Blenkin (The Witcher: Blood Origin) as Prince Charles, Jacob McCarthy (Rogue Heroes) as Kit Villiers, Tom Victor (Peaky Blinders) as John Villiers, Alice Grant as Susan Villiers, Mirren Mack (The Nest) as Katherine Manners, and Rina Mahoney (Happy Valley) as Laura Ashcattle.
Inspired by the non-fiction book The King’s Assassin by Benjamin Woolley, Mary & George is created and written by playwright DC Moore, whose credits include Killing Eve, Temple, and Not Safe For Work. Liza Marshall is executive producer for Hera Pictures alongside D.C. Moore, Oliver Hermanus, and Julianne Moore. Hermanus (Living) also helms the series as lead director. Additional directors include Alex Winckler (This Way Up) and International Emmy Award winner Florian Cossen (The Empress). Sam Hoyle serves as executive producer for Sky Studios.
Mary & George is set to premiere on Friday, April 5 at midnight on the STARZ app. On linear, it will debut on STARZ at 9:00 PM ET/PT in the U.S. and 10:00 PM ET/PT in Canada.
