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Justin Haythe, who is known for writing Revolutionary Road and Red Sparrow, creates a new Starz series inspired by the Renaissance era and one formidable female ruler within it. The Serpent Queen is largely based on a nonfiction novel written by Swedish author Leonie Frieda, titled Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France.

The period drama will consist of eight episodes. Jewish American filmmaker Stacie Passon, who wrote and directed the 2018 thriller We Have Always Lived in the Castle and recently directed four episodes of Dickinson in 2019, directs the pilot episode and several others. Below is everything we know about the upcoming series, from the notable cast to the recorded history that inspired the show.

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Image via Entertainment Weekly

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When Does The Serpent Queen Release?

The Serpent Queen is scheduled to release its first episode on September 11, 2022. The full first season will be available to Starz subscribers. To subscribe to the Starz streaming service the button below.

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Will The Serpent Queen Be Available on Other Streaming Services?

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Image via Starz

Produced by Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment, The Serpent Queen is reportedly only premiering on Starz. There is no news thus far on whether the show will be available on other video-on-demand platforms.

Watch The Serpent Queen Trailer

The Starz YouTube channel released the official trailer for The Serpent Queen on July 28, 2022. Watch it now below

"If you don't teach your enemies a lesson, they'll never learn," says Catherine de' Medici, her first lines and thus the audience's first impression of her character. The trailer grants viewers an abbreviated history of Catherine's rise to power. During the recap of her childhood, she breaks the fourth wall, addressing the audience and camera lens. She recounts how her marriage was arranged by the pope, and while a marriage of convenience, she fell in love with Prince Henry. This happiness was short-lived, however, as she quickly discovered her husband's love for another woman. Her cold heart turned to ice, Catherine grabbed hold of her agency and decided to use her influence the way she saw fit.

Who Is in The Serpent Queen?

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Image via Starz

BAFTA and Golden Globe Award-winning English actress Samantha Morton is the infamous Catherine de'Medici. Morton's first role on screen was in 1991 as Clare Anderson in the television series Soldier Soldier. Five years later, she starred as Harriet Smith in the 1996 TV movie adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. The following year, she portrayed the titular character in the 1997 TV period drama film Jane Eyre. In 2002, she played the mysterious precog Agatha Lively, opposite of Tom Cruise, in the acclaimed science fiction film Minority Report. She was nominated for the Academy Award Best Actress for her role in the 2002 drama In America. She went on to work on various period-piece films, including The Libertine, River Queen, Longford, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Morton has also played in films and shows like Cosmopolis, The Last Panthers, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Harlots, and The Walking Dead. Coming up for Morton are the Oscar-hopeful films She Said and The Whale.

Ukrainian-English-Norwegian actress Amrita Acharia is Aabis. Acharia's acting career started in 2010 with brief roles in television series and short films. In 2011, she scored the role of Irri, Dothraki handmaiden to Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen, in Game of Thrones. She played the main character in the Norwegian film I Am Yours (Jeg er din) in 2013. Acharia has also starred in Acquitted (Frikjent), The Sister, The Good Karma Hospital, and is currently filming Black Dog.

English actor Enzo Cilenti is Cosimo Ruggeri, the Italian astrologer and occultist who serves as an advisor to Catherine de' Medici. Cilenti saw his first role in 1998 as Antonio Bellini in the television series Trial & Retribution. He found a supporting role in the 2001 comedy Late Night Shopping as Lenny and a brief part in the BBC spy drama MI-5 as Carlo Franceschini. Cilenti has also appeared in films and shows such as Prisoners' Wives, Supercollider, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Theory of Everything, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Jekyll and Hyde, Game of Thrones, Les Misérables, and Across the River and Into the Trees.

Dutch actor Barry Atsma is Anne de Montmorency, the French soldier who later becomes Marshal, and then Constable, of France. Atsma got his start in Dutch films in the early 1990s and continued onto Dutch television series, such as Waltz, Voetbalvrouwen, and Hart tegen hard. In 2009, he co-led the disaster film The Storm (De Storm) as Aldo and the drama Stricken (aka Love Life) as Stijn.

English actor Nicholas Burns is King Antoine of Navarre, whose younger brother leads the Huguenots in a religious war against Catherine de' Medici. Burns got his first role in the early 2000s before snagging the part of Nick Mayer in Absolute Power and leading the show Nathan Barley in 2005. He later starred in the comedy shows Man Stroke Woman, Roman's Empire, No Heroics, Benidorm, and Marley's Ghosts. He also played in Ghost Stories, The Crown, Emma, and Censor.

English actor Danny Kirrane is Louis de Bourbon, the priest who crowns Catherine de' Medici as queen. Kirrane got his start with brief roles in television films in the late 2000s. He got his first long-term role in 2013 in the series Trollied as Dave. He then became known for playing Muniesa the Technician in the 2014 sci-fi action film Automata. He was later featured in numerous TV shows and movies including Critical, Wasted, Game of Thrones, Poldark, Don't Forget the Driver, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, and The Sandman.

British actress Sennia Nanua is Rahima. Nanua's first major role was that of Melanie in the 2016 novel-to-film horror movie The Girl With All the Gifts. She played significant supporting roles in The Fight (2018) and Frankie (2019).

English actress Beth Goddard is Antoinette Guise, a noblewoman of the House of Bourbon. Goddard started off in the early 1990s with brief roles in television series. She saw her first feature film in 1996 with Beautiful Thing before scoring a longer supporting role in the 1997 Sunnyside Farm as Wendy. She became known for the sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme for her role as Suze. Goddard has also appeared in films and shows such as X-Men: First Class, Edge of Tomorrow, Queen of the Desert, Outlander, Call the Midwife, Des, Manhunt, and Becoming Elizabeth.

British actress Antonia Clarke is Queen Mary of Scotland. After several short roles in TV shows, Clarke starred in the 2012 award-winning musical epic Les Misérables as part of the Lovely Ladies singing ensemble. Anna, Magic in the Moonlight, Catherine the Great, All My Friends Hate Me, and Book of Love.

George Jaques is Francis II, Catherine de' Medici's firstborn who reigns as king from 1559 to 1560. Jaques recently starred as a German soldier in the 2022 Agatha Christie mystery film Death on the Nile. His next film, Surprised by Oxford, is in post-production, and he is currently filming the series A Town Called Malice.

Two-time SAGA winner English actor Charles Dance is Pope Clement VII, Catherine's uncle and the one who arranges her marriage. Dance presents an impressive filmography, dating back to his first entrance on screen in 1974. One of his early notable roles was in the 1984 drama The Jewel in the Crown, where he played Guy Perron. He played a major role in the 1992 Alien 3 as Dr. Jonathan Clemens. Dance has also starred in Gosford Park, Bleak House, The Imitation Game, Woman in Gold, Child 44, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Mank, and The King's Man, Game of Thrones, And Then There Were None, The Crown, The Sandman, Rabbit Hole.

French actress Ludivine Sagnier is Diane de Poiters, Catherine's husband's mistress. Sagnier began with French films, her first being the 1989 Les maris, les femmes, les amants. She sparkled as Tink in the 2003 live-action rendition of Peter Pan. In the same year, she was Julie in the mystery drama Swimming Pool. She's known for her role as Esther Aubry in the coinciding shows, The Young Pope and The New Pope. In 2021, she starred as Claire in the Netflix crime series Lupin. She also played Alice in the 2021 drama The Hive (La ruche). Her other upcoming film, Napoleon, in which she is Theresa Cabarrus, is in post-production.

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What is the Plot of The Serpent Queen?

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Image via Starz

The Serpent Queen is a reimagined take on the epic life and rule of Catherine de' Medici. Based on Frieda's nonfiction biography of the ruler, the series will bring history to the screen. It is also clear that the series will take creative liberties for the sake of artistic angles. Below is a brief biography of Catherine's rise to power.

According to Britannica, Catherine was born into the Medici family, in Florence, Italy, but orphaned as an infant. Her uncle, the Pope, arranged for her to be married at fourteen years old. Catherine married the man who would later become King Henry II of France in 1547. Though Henry possessed a mistress, Diane de Poitiers, Catherine still bore the king's children.

When King Henry died suddenly, Catherine's firstborn son Francis II inherited the throne. Catherine then struggled to extend her influence during the French Wars of Religion. The wars involved the Calvinist Protestants, known as Huguenots, pushing for reformation of the Catholic Church, and thereby threatening other governing powers that were closely connected to the religious organization. Catherine de' Medici was a Catholic, and she and her son fought to keep their rule over the monarchy. As the crown went on to her other sons, Charles IX and Henry, she used her power as queen consort to raise her allies to positions of influence, rule edicts, and arrange important marriages.

Straying from the facts of history, The Serpent Queen appears to dabble in some of the rumors that surround Catherine de' Medici's name. She was infamously accused of witchcraft, assassinations, and even ordering the 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. While nothing proves Catherine ordered the massacre, there may be some truth in her poisoning her enemies. According to Kate McCaffrey on Culture Trip, "In an anonymously-published, widely-read pamphlet from 1576, Catherine’s accession to the regency of France was credited to her practice of witchcraft." While the rumors spread quickly, no historical proof supported the claims.

If anything, Catherine de' Medici was a fierce and cunning politician. To watch her fight for her place among the nobles and survive years of civil wars, check out The Serpent Queen on Starz on September 11.