‘Mary & George’: Julianne Moore To Star In Sky/AMC Limited Series
Academy Award, BAFTA and Emmy-winning actor Julianne Moore will star in ‘Mary & George‘, a new limited series for AMC and Sky the broadcasters have announced.
Created by DC Moore, the eight-part limited series is based on the extraordinary true story of Mary Villiers (Moore), who moulded her beautiful son, George, to seduce King James I and become his all-powerful lover. Through outrageous scheming, the pair rose from humble beginnings to become the richest, most titled, and influential mother and son England had ever seen. The series is due to begin filming in early 2023 and debut later next year.
“Mary Villiers was a woman who through her own actions rose to become a powerful and influential figure in Jacobean London,” said Moore. “It’s a daunting but exhilarating challenge to bring her to life on screen.”
Julianne Moore (‘Still Alice’, ‘Far From Heaven’) is an Academy Award, BAFTA and Emmy-winning actor, and the first American woman to be awarded top acting prizes at the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice film festivals. This past August she was appointed the President of the Jury for the Venice Film Festival.
“Since I first read about Mary Villiers’ life – and all she achieved with her son, George – I’ve been obsessed with bringing this story to the screen,” adds DC Moore, Writer & Executive Producer. “Between King James’ often-overlooked love and lust for men, Mary’s extraordinary rise as a woman in a man’s world, and George’s (many, many) sexual and political conquests, this is a profoundly rich, and, as yet entirely untold on screen, story, about a pair of ‘commoners’ who conquered all before them.”
‘Mary & George’ is produced by Hera Pictures in association with Sky Studios and is written by acclaimed playwright DC Moore (‘Killing Eve’, ‘Temple’), inspired by the non-fiction book “The King’s Assassin” by Benjamin Woolley. The lead director is Oliver Hermanus, award-winning director of ‘Moffie’ and ‘Living’, currently screening to critical acclaim at Sundance, Venice, Telluride, Toronto and London.
“The incredible Julianne Moore is our dream casting for Mary – a woman who was damned by her contemporaries but was always the smartest person in the room,” said Liza Marshall, Executive Producer for Hera Pictures. “Indomitable women like Mary have too often been written out of history but with DC Moore’s brilliant scripts and Oliver Hermanus at the helm, we will reclaim her story to make a truly unique, unmissable show.”
‘Mary & George’ was commissioned by Gabriel Silver, Director of Commissioning, Drama and Sam Hoyle, Commissioning Editor at Sky Studios, for Zai Bennett, MD of Content, Sky UK. Sam Hoyle will serve as Executive Producer for Sky Studios. Liza Marshall is the executive producer for Hera Pictures alongside DC Moore and Oliver Hermanus. Lead director is Oliver Hermanus.
“Mary Villiers is one of the most fascinating, complex, and extraordinary figures in British history and we cannot wait to see Julianne Moore take on this role, bringing Mary’s story to new audiences around the world,” comments Meghan Lyvers, Director of Original Drama, UK at Sky Studios. “We are thrilled to partner with Oliver Hermanus, DC Moore, Liza Marshall and the team at Hera Pictures as we embark on this series which signifies a renewed ambition for Sky Original drama.”
‘Mary & George‘ is expected to air in 2023 on Sky in the UK, Ireland, DACH and Italy. AMC Networks holds exclusive distribution in the U.S, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India. NBCUniversal Global Distribution handles international sales on behalf of Sky Studios. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
