Samantha Morton (The Walking Dead, Harlots) stars as the ruthless Catherine de Medici in Starz’ latest and perhaps cheekiest royal drama, The Serpent Queen.

In this reimagining of the story, de Medici tells her servant and confidante, Rahima (Sennia Nanua) about the choices she’s made throughout her long rule over France.

At 14, orphaned and alone, she married King Henry II, who was much more enamored of his mistress, Diane de Poitiers (Ludivine Sagnier), a lady-in-waiting twice his age. Realizing that she has little power within the French court, Catherine quickly learns to manipulate the situation to her favor.

The series also stars Colm Meaney, Kiruna Stamell, Barry Atsma, Alex Heath, Amrita Acharia, Enzo Cilenti, Antonia Clarke, Adam Garcia, Beth Goddard, Raza Jaffrey, Ray Panthaki, Nicholas Burns, Danny Kirrane and Rupert Everett.

The series is based on the book, “Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France,” by Leonie Frieda and comes from writer and executive producer Justin Haythe. Stacie Passon directs several episodes, including the premiere, and serves as executive producer. It’s also executive produced by Francis Lawrence and Erwin Stoff. The eight-episode series is produced for Starz by Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment.

The Serpent Queen premieres Sunday, September 11 on Starz, the Starz app and on the StarzPlay streaming platform.

Tags: starz the serpent queen


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