Cast: Jodie Comer, Jacob Collins-Levy, Michelle Fairley, Essie Davis, Vincent Regan, Rebecca Benson, Rhys Connah, Suki Waterhouse, Patrick Gibson, Joanne Whalley
Directed by: Jamie Payne
Based on Philippa Gregory's series of novels, Starz new show The White Princess premieres today. Following the events of the War of the Roses, the show is loosely a sequel to The White Queen that premiered in 2013.
One can see that the show draws heavy influences from Game of Thrones given that the set up, costumes and the cast of the show shares a few names with the HBO show. However, the show's synopsis is clear that the miniseries will follow the journey of a new queen's difficulties and overall, The White Princess is driven by feminism.
The first episode is titled as In Bed with the Enemy:
England is in a fractious state as Henry Tudor is set to ascend the throne. Lizzie must fulfill her promise to marry King Henry VII in order to bring peace to the warring nation.
Not only the first but the miniseries will focus on war, plague, murder, sex, violence and women, the director Jamie Payne and writer Emma Frost of the show told Collider. Revealing spoilers of the first episode, the two shared that the first episode will feature an important sexual violence scene.
"The show very much her (Lizzie's) story still. But in the same way that The White Queen had pretty much three really strong female characters in play at all times, apart from the first episode, I've tried to do the same thing. So we have Elizabeth, Lizzie, Maggie and the Duchess of Burgundy, who is referred to in the novel but you don't actually meet in the novel," Frost revealed.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Game of Thrones alum Michelle Fairley informed that the characters have one strong similarity: "Margaret and Catelyn are both powerful women. They're both mothers who are dedicated to their children — to say the least — and they both believe they're on the side of good. People might say, "Why do you want to play the same character again, another strong woman?" but there's a different angle to it every time. And there's even strength in weakness too."
Playing a crucial role in the BBC sequel, she recommended the show to viewers who are interested in history and strong women.
So are you ready to enter the world of The White Princess? Here's where you can begin your journey with Episode 1:
When: The White Princess Episode 1 premieres on April 16
Where: Starz
Air time: 8 p.m EST
Where to watch/live stream online: Starz
