Queen & Slim’ Jodie Turner-Smith and I May Destroy You’s Paapa Essiedu lead Anne Boleyn series

Photo credit: Lia Toby – Getty Images

From Digital Spy

Queen & Slim star Jodie Turner-Smith and I May Destroy You’s Paapa Essiedu are set to lead a new series focused on Anne Boleyn.

The actress will play the former Queen and second wife of King Henry VIII in what’s being described as a ‘convention-defying’ take on the story for Channel 5 (via Deadline).

The three-parter is framed a psychological thriller about the downfall of Boleyn, and will take a feminist focus on the final months of her life.

Photo credit: Lia Toby – Getty Images

Related: Gangs of London star Paapa Essiedu defends the show’s extreme violence

This includes a re-imagining her struggle with a patriarchal society, her desire to secure a future for her daughter, as well as the brutal reality of her failure to provide the King with a male heir.

Essiedu will co-star alongside Amanda Burton (White House Farm), Thalissa Teixeira (Two Weeks To Live), Barry Ward (White Lines) and Jamael Westman (Hamilton).

The series is going under the working title of Anne Boleyn, with commissioner Ben Frow previously teasing: “This project re-frames her story as a propulsive psychological thriller, told from a new perspective, with top talent like Jodie Turner-Smith attached. It was simply too irresistible to say no to.”

Photo credit: David M. Benett – Getty Images

Related: I May Destroy You’s Paapa Essiedu on stereotypes, Black queerness, and Kwame’s future in season 2

“We feel that history has side-lined the voice of this ambitious Queen in favor of the men who brought her down, and that [director] Lynsey Miller’s beautiful, intimate vision will put Anne’s gaze at the heart of the piece,” Producers Faye Ward and Hannah Farrel added.

Turner-Smith continued: “Delving deeper into Anne Boleyn’s immense strengths while examining her fatal weaknesses and vulnerabilities, [writer] Eve [Hedderwick Turner]’s scripts immediately captured my imagination.”

Digital Spy has launched its first-ever digital magazine with exclusive features, interviews, and videos. Access the latest edition with a 1-month free trial, only on Apple News+.

Story continues

Interested in Digital Spy’s weekly newsletter? Sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox – and don’t forget to join our Watch This Facebook Group for daily TV recommendations and discussions with other readers.

You Might Also Like