Philippa Gregory's 'Cousins' War' series will become a Starz TV show
Historical novelist Philippa Gregory’s British history series will be the basis of a new Starz miniseries titled “The White Queen,” which will premiere this August.
“Queen” will follow the events of Gregory’s books “The Lady of the Rivers,” “The White Queen,” and “The Red Queen,” which are known as the "Cousins’ War" series. “Red” centers on Margaret Beaufort, the mother of the first Tudor king Henry VII, while “White” follows Elizabeth Woodville, who became queen by marrying King Edward IV. “Rivers” is the story of Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Elizabeth’s mother. The conflict around which the series is built is the War of the Roses, in which the houses of York and Lancaster struggled for the English throne.
The series will run for 10 episodes and is produced in tandem with the BBC.
“All are heroines in the real sense of the word,” Gregory said of her characters in a statement. “They were courageous and determined and went through extraordinary danger, but they never abandoned their unwavering desire to return their family to power.... I think people are going to be surprised to see these remarkably powerful women when traditional history tells you female were simply relegated to be victims or wives or mothers.”
The series stars “Ripper Street” actress Amanda Hale as Margaret Beaufort; “Albert Nobbs” actress Janet McTeer as Jacquetta of Luxembourg; actress Rebecca Ferguson as Elizabeth Woodville; Max Irons of “Red Riding Hood” as Edward IV; and “The Tudors” actor James Frain as Lord Warwick, who serves as mentor to Edward IV.
“Queen” will premiere Aug. 10.
Gregory is best-known for her novel “The Other Boleyn Girl,” which followed Anne’s sister Mary Boleyn and her relationship with her more famous sibling and was released in 2001. It was released as a movie in 2008 starring Natalie Portman as Anne, Scarlett Johansson as Mary, and Eric Bana as King Henry VIII.
