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TL;DR: 

  • The Serpent Queen premieres September 11 on Starz. 
  • The edgy historical drama stars Oscar-nominee Samantha Morton as Catherine de Medici. 
  • It will explore how Catherine became one of the most powerful and longest-ruling monarchs in French history. 
Samantha Morton as Catherine de Medici in image promoting the Starz series 'The Serpent Queen'
‘The Serpent Queen’ | Starz

Catherine de Medici is not a queen to be crossed. That much is clear from the first trailer for Starz’s upcoming historical drama The Serpent Queen, which stars Samantha Morton as the notorious French monarch.

“If you don’t teach your enemies a lesson, they will never learn,” she says in the bloody, punk-ish teaser. Later, she offers up a bit of hard-won wisdom to another character: “When you find life conspiring against you, you must change it to your favor.”

‘The Serpent Queen’ stars Samantha Morton and premieres September 11  

The Serpent Queen premieres Sunday, September 11 at 8 p.m. ET on Starz. In addition to Morton, who’s recently appeared in Harlots and The Walking Dead, it features Game of Thrones alum Charles Dance as Catherine’s uncle Pope Clement. Liv Hill portrays Catherine as a teenager and Sennia Nanua plays the queen’s servant and confidant Rahima. 

The series is based on the book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda. There will be eight episodes, which will also debut on Sundays at midnight on the Starz app, as well as Starz streaming and on-demand platforms. 

The series puts a contemporary spin on a centuries-old story

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The trailer for The Serpent Queen makes it clear that the show is not some stuffy costume drama. Aside from the modern, aggressive soundtrack, it also has a fourth-wall-breaking format, with Catherine periodically addressing the camera to share her side of the story. 

“My story begins when I was a young girl,” she says. “I was alone in the world.” 

In the premiere – titled “Medici Bitch” – Catherine shares lessons she’s learned with her servant Rahima as her story unfolds in flashbacks. At age 14, the orphaned Catherine’s uncle Pope Clement arranges for her to be married off to Henry, a prince of France. She’s a commoner, but her large dowry and powerful family make it an appealing union for France, which expects the young bridge to quickly get about the business of producing heirs. 

Once Catherine arrives in France, she immediately falls for Henry. But then she discovers that her handsome young husband is in love with Diane de Poitiers (Ludivine Sagnier), a beautiful lady-in-waiting who is twice his age. With her position and future uncertain, Catherine must quickly learn who she can trust. She must also outmaneuver those who underestimate her will to survive. 

‘The Serpent Queen’ also features Colm Meaney and Rupert Everett 

The Serpent Queen’s cast also includes Colm Meaney, Kiruna Stamell, Barry Atsma, Alex Heath, Amrita Acharia, Enzo Cilenti, Antonia Clarke, Adam Garcia, Beth Goddard, Raza Jaffrey, Ray Panthaki, Nicholas Burns, Danny Kirrane, and Rupert Everett. 

Justin Haythe, who has also worked on Revolutionary Road and Red Sparrow, serves as writer and executive producer. Stacie Passon directed the premiere episode. 

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