‘Mary and George’ Teaser: Julianne Moore’s 17th Century Schemer Wants the Throne — with Her Son as a Tool of Seduction

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read
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Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine are a devilish mother-son duo in Starz period piece “Mary and George.”

The historical psychodrama follows Moore’s transformation into 17th century staple Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham, who set out to take over the throne by having her son George (Galitzine) seduce King James I (Tony Curran).

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Nicola Walker, Niamh Algar, Trine Dyrholm, Sean Gilder, Adrian Rawlins, Mark O’Halloran, Laurie Davidson, Samuel Blenkin, Jacob McCarthy, Tom Victor, Simon Russell Beale, Amelia Gething, Mirren Mack, Rina Mahoney, and Alice Grant also star.

The seven-part limited series is created by playwright D.C. Moore who was also behind “Killing Eve.” Moore penned the series inspired by Benjamin Woolley’s nonfiction book “The King’s Assassin.” Hermanus helms the series as lead director. The show is produced by Hera Pictures in association with Sky Studios, and will premiere as a Starz original series in the U.S. and Canada.

“‘Mary and George’ is the perfect complement to Starz’s provocative slate and we’re thrilled to partner with Sky Studios to bring this extraordinary series to U.S. audiences,” Alison Hoffman, President of Domestic Networks for Starz, said. “We can’t wait for the world to discover the untold story of Mary Villiers, who mastered the art of sexual and political conquests in a male-dominated society. And to have Julianne leading this remarkable cast is a dream.”

“Mary and George” is executive produced by Liza Marshall for Hera Pictures alongside creator Moore, Oliver Hermanus, and actress Moore. Sam Hoyle serves as executive producer for Sky Studios.

In addition to “Mary and George,” Moore recently has played seductively manipulative characters in “Sharper” and Todd Haynes’ twisted upcoming “May December,” which co-stars Natalie Portman.

Moore previously opened up about how “totally sexist” Hollywood is when it comes to emphasizing how actresses should be “aging gracefully” onscreen. “Is there an ungraceful way to age? We don’t have an option of course,” Moore said. “No one has an option about aging, so it’s not a positive or a negative thing, it just is.”

The Oscar winner later added, “Obviously, ours is a business where there is some physicality involved, but beauty and prettiness are subjective.”

“Mary and George” premieres in 2024 on Starz. Check out the teaser below.

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