Television

Drama About Elizabeth I’s Early Life in the Works at Starz, Hails from All-Women Writing Team

Queen Elizabeth I at age 13: wartburg.edu/Wiki Commons

Starz has explored the lives of royals Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York, and Catherine of Aragon in “The White Queen,” “The White Princess,” and “The Spanish Princess,” respectively. Now the cabler is bringing Queen Elizabeth I’s young adult years to the small screen. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Starz has given “Becoming Elizabeth” an eight-episode, straight-to-series order. Anya Reiss (“Spur of the Moment,” “The Acid Test”) will executive produce and lead the project’s all-women writing team.

“Becoming Elizabeth” is “the untold story of the early life of England’s most iconic Queen. Long before she ascended the throne, young Elizabeth Tudor was an orphaned teenager who became embroiled in the political and sexual politics of the English court. With no clear heir, the death of King Henry the VIII sets into motion a dangerous scramble for power,” THR teases. “Elizabeth struggles to control her own destiny and take real power as the men around her attempt to claim her sovereignty. Her fascinating and factual journey to secure the crown is filled with scheming, betrayal, and illicit relationships that threaten to bring forth her demise at a time in which every man or woman of the court is on the wheel of fortune, which may take them to a position of great power one moment, or the executioner’s block the next.”

Emily Ballou (“Humans”), Anna Jordan (“Succession”), and Suhayla El-Bushra (“Hollyoaks”) are also writing on the series. Karen Bailey, Starz’s senior vp originals, is overseeing.

This is far from the first screen depiction of Elizabeth I. Cate Blanchett scored Oscar nominations for portraying the monarch in “Elizabeth” and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” and Judi Dench played her in an Oscar-winning supporting role in “Shakespeare in Love.” Margot Robbie’s Queen Elizabeth I went head-to-head with Saoirse Ronan’s titular character in last year’s “Mary Queen of Scots.” Miniseries “The Virgin Queen,” starring Anne-Marie Duff, explored Elizabeth I’s full reign, while Helen Mirren won an Emmy for portraying the queen in her later years in miniseries “Elizabeth I.”


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