Is The Serpent Queen all set to premiere in September on Starz? Continue reading to find out.
The Serpent Queen is an American period drama television series revolving around the life of Catherine de Medici. It was created by Justin Haythe and based on the 2004 non-fiction book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda. The series is the newest addition to the streaming catalog. It is fair to say that the show has gotten quite a lot of attention over the last few days as the premiere date draws closer.
It will be part of the network’s fall season, along with other new series and movies that will debut this year. If you intend to watch this new series on the platform and get a head start, we’ve put together a brief rundown of everything you need to know about the release date, plotline, and cast. Keep reading to learn more about Starz’s The Serpent Queen.
The Serpent Queen Release Date
The network has officially confirmed that The Serpent Queen is all set to premiere on Sunday, September 11, quoting, “It’s time to enter our villain era. Samantha Morton stars as Catherine de Medici in #TheSerpentQueen, premiering September 11 on STARZ.” Take a look at the official post below:
It's time to enter our villain era. Samantha Morton stars as Catherine de Medici in #TheSerpentQueen, premiering September 11 on STARZ. pic.twitter.com/yNvIGa4XAl
— The Serpent Queen (@serpentqueen) August 29, 2022
The Serpent Queen Plot
“The Serpent Queen,” tells the story of Catherine de Medici (Samantha Morton), who, against all odds, became one of the most powerful and longest-serving rulers in French history. Catherine’s tale unfolds through flashbacks as she defends her actions and imparts the lessons she’s learned to her new servant girl, Rahima (Sennia Nanua). At 14, the young, orphaned Catherine (Liv Hill) marries into the 16th-century French court. Despite her commoner status, her uncle Pope Clement (Charles Dance) has negotiated a large dowry and a geopolitical alliance in return for the union, and with it comes the expectation of many heirs.
However, on her wedding night, Catherine learns that her new husband is in love with Diane de Poitiers (Ludivine Sagnier), a beautiful lady-in-waiting twice his age. With her future suddenly uncertain and with little hope of conceiving, Catherine must quickly learn who she can trust – both within her personal entourage of courtiers and the members of the royal court – while outmaneuvering anyone who underestimates her determination to survive at any cost.
“The Serpent Queen may be the most cunning account of one of the most influential women ever to wear a crown that Starz has told,” said Christina Davis, President of Original Programming for Starz. “We are thrilled to be working with such an incredibly talented team who will give this series a modern voice among a sensational historical backdrop.”
“Writing Catherine and her story has been truly exciting as she is a very complex leading character who becomes a skilled ruler, battling extraordinary political and personal odds throughout her reign,” added Haythe. “She is a Queen who defies convention, as she relies upon her intellect, her unusual entourage and a ready supply of black magic inspiring, centuries later, the Evil Queen of fairy tales.”
The Serpent Queen Episodes
The forthcoming series is reported to have eight episodes, all of which will drop on a weekly basis at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on the Starz channel. It will be made available to stream on the STARZ app and the STARZPLAY app later.
We’d also want to point out that, as of September 9, 2022, Rotten Tomatoes had confirmed the actual titles for the episodes. The synopsis of the first episode states, “Queen Catherine begins to tell the story of her life to Rahima, a servant girl, revealing how she came to enter the French Royal Court at the age of 14.” We’ve included them here so you can see the sequence and schedule of the episodes.
- S1E1: Medici Bitch – September 11, 2022
- S1E2: To War Rather Than To Bed – September 18, 2022
- S1E3: The Price – September 25, 2022
- S1E4: A New Era – October 2, 2022
- S1E5: The First Regency – October 9, 2022
- S1E6: The Last Joust – October 16, 2022
- S1E7: An Attack on the King – October 27, 2022
- S1E8: A Queen Is Made – October 30, 2022
The Serpent Queen Cast
The main cast members of the series are as follows:
- Samantha Morton as Catherine de Medici
- Amrita Acharia as Aabis
- Enzo Cilenti as Cosimo Ruggeri
- Barry Atsma as Montmorency
- Nicholas Burns as Antoine de Bourbon
- Danny Kirrane as Louis de Bourbon
- Sennia Nanua as Rahima
- Beth Goddard as Antoinette de Guise
- Antonia Clarke as Mary, Queen of Scots
- George Jaques as Francis II
The recurring cast members of the series are as follows:
- Charles Dance as Pope Clement VII
- Ludivine Sagnier as Diane de Poitiers
- Liv Hill as Young Catherine
- Alex Heath as Young Henri
- Kiruna Stamell as Mathilde
- Colm Meaney as King Francis
- Rebecca Gethings as Queen Eleanor
- Ray Panthaki as Charles de Guise
- Raza Jaffrey as François de Guise
- Guillemette Buffet as Madeleine de la Tour
- Louis Landau as Dauphin Francis
- Memet Ali Alabora as Sultan Suleiman
The Serpent Queen Official Trailer
The official trailer was released on July 28, 2022, with the tagline stating, “Catherine de Medici is ready to rule. Watch the official trailer for The Serpent Queen premiering on September 11 on STARZ.” Take a look at the official trailer below:
Where to stream The Serpent Queen?
When available to stream, The Serpent Queen will be available to stream on STARZ and the STARZ app, with new episodes, most likely premiering on Sunday nights, based on the region you live in and the membership plan the viewers can choose from in case you want to stream it online. In the UK, the series will be available from the same day on Starzplay.
Let us know in the comments if you will be streaming The Serpent Queen on Starz this month.