David Farnor | On 18, Oct 2022

Julianne Moore will star Mary & George, a new drama for Sky and AMC.

The eight-part series is based on the true story of Mary Villiers, 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.

Mary & George is produced by Hera Pictures in association with Sky Studios and is written by DC Moore (Killing Eve, Temple), inspired by the non-fiction book The King’s Assassin by Benjamin Woolley. The lead director is Oliver Hermanus (Moffie, Living). The series 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.

Julianne Moore said: “Mary Villiers was a woman who through her own actions rose to become a powerful and influential figure in Jacobean London. It’s a daunting but exhilarating challenge to bring her to life on screen.”

DC Moore added: “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. 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.”

The series is due to begin filming in early 2023 and debut on Sky later next year.

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