The Trailer for 'My Lady Jane' Promises a Magical New Take on a Dark Tudor Tale

If you're at all familiar with the story of Lady Jane Grey, it's probably because of the tragic turn her young life took. Known as the Nine Days' Queen, she was just sixteen years old when she was installed on the throne of England as part of a bid to prevent the succession of the Catholic Mary Tudor. That attempt failed and she was beheaded a year later in the Tower of London, and now is remembered almost solely for the fact that she was the shortest reigning monarch in British history. 

Well, if its trailer is anything to go by, Prime Video's My Lady Jane is set to say "F*** that" to history. The seven-part drama, which will arrive on the streamer this June, aims to reimagine the story of Lady Jane Grey in an altogether different fashion, this time as a romantic fantasy saga filled with girl power and a dash of magic. 

Based on the popular YA novel of the same name by the trio of Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows, the story reimagines Jane as a feisty young heroine in her own right. Dreading her arranged marriage to one of Lord Dudley's sons, she finds herself drawn into a whirlwind of events, including a surprise coronation as queen and an unexpected romance with an unlikely partner. And, if the show follows the book's plot at all, a daring mission to save a group of magical beings who are being persecuted by her political rivals.

The other books by the so-called "Lady Janies" authors also tell fantasy-tinged stories of overlooked, misunderstood, or otherwise ill-treated historical women, so if My Lady Jane is a hit, we should probably expect to see adaptations of their other popular novels like My Plain Jane or My Contrary Mary follow in short order. 

Here's the series synopsis:

Gird your loins for the tragic tale of Lady Jane Grey, the young Tudor noblewoman who was Queen of England for nine days and then beheaded in 1553... F*ck that. We’re retelling history the way it should have happened: the damsel in distress saves herself. This is an epic tale of true love and high adventure set in an alt-universe of action, history, fantasy, comedy, romance, and rompy-pompy. Buckle up.

Inspired by the best-selling book, My Lady Jane is a radical retelling of English royal history, in which King Henry VIII’s son Edward does not die of tuberculosis, Lady Jane Grey is not beheaded, and neither is her rascal of a husband Guildford. At the center of this rollicking new series is the brilliant and headstrong Jane who is unexpectedly crowned queen overnight and finds herself the target of nefarious villains coming for the crown (and her head)... My Lady Jane is an epic tale of true love and high adventure, where the damsel in distress saves herself, her true love, and then the Kingdom.

Emily Bader (Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin) stars as Jane Grey, with Edward Bluemel (Belgravia: The Next Chapter) as her love interest, Guildford Dudley. The series also features Jordan Peters (Everything I Know About Love) as King Edward, Dominic Cooper (The Gold) as Lord Seymour, Anna Chancellor (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris) as Lady Frances Grey, Rob Brydon (McDonald & Dodds) as Lord Dudley, and Jim Broadbent (Paddington) as the Duke of Leicester.

Additional cast includes Will Keen (His Dark Materials), Henry Ashton (A Good Girl's Guide To Murder), Isabella Brownson (Napoleon), Robyn Betteridge (Wheel of Time), Kate O’Flynn (Landscapers), Abbie Hern (Enola Holmes), Máiréad Tyers (Extraordinary), Joe Klocek (The Dry), and Michael Workeye (This is Going to Hurt).

My Lady Jane is created by Gemma Burgess, who serves as co-showrunner alongside Meredith Glynn (The Boys). Five of the series' eight episodes are directed by Jamie Babbit (Only Murders in the Building), who also executive produces alongside Burgess, Glynn, Laurie MacDonald (Men In Black), and Sarah Bradshaw (The Hedge Knight). 

All episodes of My Lady Jane premiere June 27 on Prime Video.