Game Of Thrones alumna Michelle Fairley has been cast as Margaret Beaufort in The White Princess, Starz‘s follow-up to its critically-acclaimed miniseries The White Queen, from Company Pictures. British actress Jodie Comer (Doctor Foster, My Mad Fat Diary) also has signed on as Princess Elizabeth of York.
Adapted from Philippa Gregory’s best-selling novel and part of The Cousins’ War book series, The White Princess tells the story of England’s War of the Roses from the perspective of the women. The 8-episode limited series drama will begin shooting on location in Bristol, England later this year.
Fairley will play Margaret Beaufort, Henry Tudor’s mother and mastermind behind his ascent to the Throne of England. She was a philanthropist, a benefactor for the Church, and a murderer. Margaret knows that getting the throne and keeping it safe for the Tudor line are two different things, especially as York rivals continue to plot against them with increasing success. Comer’s Princess Elizabeth of York (Lizzie) is forced into marriage to unite the Houses of York and Tudor, realizing that she has no choice but to do her duty for England and marry the new King, Henry VII. The union brings Lizzie in direct conflict with Henry’s strong-willed mother. As Margaret’s influence over her son begins to wane and Lizzie’s star rises, Margaret beings to unravel as the sins of the past and present weigh heavily on her conscience and her relations with Henry are at risk of potentially imploding.
Best known for her role as Catelyn Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones, Fairley can currently be seen in SundanceTV’s Irish historical drama miniseries, Rebellion, and will also appear in upcoming Season 2 of Pivot’s first original scripted series, Fortitude. Comer’s breakout role came in British comedy-drama, My Mad Fat Diary, adapted from the novel by Rae Earl. She went on to star in BBC One’s supernatural drama mini-series Remember Me and BBC One’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
The White Queen writer Emma Frost is returning to serve as showrunner. She executive produces with Gregory, Playground’s Colin Callender (The White Queen) and Scott Huff, and Company Pictures’ Michele Buck. Lachlan MacKinnon (Burton and Taylor) will serve as producer.
Fairley is repped by Peter Brooks at Creative Artists Management and Chris Schmidt at Paradigm. Comer is repped by Independent Talent Group in the UK and ICM Partners in the U.S.
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