'Grey's Anatomy' showrunners to create drama on Elizabeth I: Report
Former Grey's Anatomy showrunners Joan Rater, Tony Phelan, and William Harper are teaming up for a new ITV period drama called Majesty. Per Deadline, the series will provide a new perspective on the life of young Elizabeth I at King Henry VIII's court. Directed by Mr Bates vs the Post Office fame James Strong, the project is being produced by Strong Film & Television and distributed by StudioCanal.
'Majesty' to explore conspiracy theories surrounding young Elizabeth I
Majesty will explore the life of a young Elizabeth I and her place in King Henry VIII's court. However, the show won't be a simple historical retelling of Elizabeth's early years. Instead, it will reimagine her life through the prism of conspiracy theories that were prevalent during her youth. Elizabeth took the throne a decade after Henry VIII's death and ruled for nearly 50 years.
'Majesty' is an emotional, funny, and contemporary-feeling alternate history
The showrunners described Majesty as an "emotional, funny, and contemporary-feeling alternate history about how three outsiders try to stay alive while hiding a secret that, if discovered, would rock England to its foundations." They added that the show allows them to "have fun with history while illuminating who we are now. This show is pure wish-fulfillment of how people devoted to the public good suddenly find themselves in a position to make a difference."
Strong's production company to kickstart with 'Majesty'
Strong, who has previously collaborated with the showrunners on Fire Country, said he was excited about the project. He called the Majesty scripts a "director's dream as we get to re-imagine and recreate an iconic piece of English history and tell a period story that looks stunning." The series will be the first project from Strong's production company, which he launched last year with Matt Tombs.
ITV's drama head praised 'Majesty' as the perfect illustration
Polly Hill, ITV's drama boss, will supervise the project for the network. She praised Majesty as a "perfect illustration of the range of drama that we want to see on ITV as we continue to strive to make the best and most ambitious mainstream drama for our UK audiences." The cast for Majesty is yet to be revealed, with filming scheduled to begin next year.
