Helen Mirren has worked out a deal with HBO to play Catherine the Great in a four-party miniseries. Not only will she star in it, she’ll executive produce it as well. The story will take place in the latter part of Catherine’s life and according to Entertainment Weekly, sounds like it will revolve around Catherine’s affair with Grigory Potemkin.
Period pieces have been kind to Helen Mirren. She played Queen Charlotte in The Madness of King George, Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, and the titular Elizabeth I, on top of numerous works of Shakespeare and her new gothic tale, Winchester. Now she’ll add Catherine the Great to that list.
The Oscar winner will play the title role in HBO and Sky’s upcoming four-part miniseries, Catherine the Great, which will explore the politically and sexually charged court of this powerful Russian monarch.
Directed by Mirren’s Prime Suspect helmer, Philip Martin, and penned by Elizabeth I’s Nigel Williams, the limited television event will follow Catherine towards the end of her reign in the 18th century as she struck a passionate relationship with Grigory Potemkin.
“I am very excited by the possibility of embodying a woman from history who grabbed and then wielded great power,” Mirren said in a statement. “She rewrote the rules of governance by a woman, and succeeded to the extent of having the word Great attached to her name, Catherine the Great. I am very grateful to have HBO and Sky as partners in this endeavour. There are no other homes on television that bring the support and understanding needed for this kind of project.”
“Helen Mirren came to me with the idea for Catherine the Great when we were working with her on Woman in Gold, saying it’s a part she’s always wanted to play,” executive producer David M. Thompson said. “I’m delighted we’re now making the series and indeed we can’t think of anyone better for the role.”
I have a lot of respect for Nigel Williams and I don’t really know Philip Martin’s work but I have heard good things about Prime Suspect. And good for Helen to go after her wish to play the empress. I understand why she chose this timeframe for the story but I’m a little bummed they are framing this around her Potemkin affair. There is so much more to say about Catherine the Great than that. I’d rather see the relationship between her and her son Paul and grandsons and the fight for succession. But I guess sex sells.
I wonder what this project will do for the Barbra Streisand-directed biopic that’s been trying to find a home for a while now?
Photo credit: WENN Photos
She is so gorgeous. She is really giving me consolation that I may still look great at her age. I know some said she has had a little work done but it’s still well done, yes? Also her styling and makeup are almost always great. No surgeon knife can do that.
Yes, yes, all this. Helen is still my more mature lady crush.
Here, here.
yessss!!!!!!
Catherine’s relationships with her many lovers were modern, in their way, and part of the story of her power and choices related to her vision of ruling, so I understand thus POV. But I would have picked Poniatowski for the cental relationship story.
Helen will be amazing creating this — good for her.
Catherine was one of the most important rulers of the Russia, I hope they do her justice.
Yes, she did great and terrible things alike. I hope they strike a balance and properly make her a morally grey character here.
Prime Suspect is bloody brilliant, and her in it.
agreed! my parents are not big TV people but they watched every episode of it. i remember it being on when i was a kid and watched it on netflix as an adult and it is just so excellent! it along with in the heat of the night – it is the blueprint for every good police procedural on TV.
It’s on Netflix? Ooh..(.goes to check Canadian listings…)
Mr Who didn’t see final season, with her shattering performance
it was two years ago. not sure if it is on now.
I just checked…it’s gone. Drat! … off to check public library, THEY always come through.
Support your public libraries! : )
I love Helen and I think she will be fabulous but Catherine the Great was not a beauty nor pretty.
She was like Cleopatra – intelligent, educated, independent and strong. Both of them weren’t known for their outer beauty.
Helen is gorgeous so I think that won’t work out.
Angelina Jolie also bought rights to a Catherine the Great movie so wonder what happened to that.
I’ve been following Helen since I was a little girl and saw her in “Caligula”…do not even ASK how that happened…my older brother got into SO MUCH TROUBLE!!! I never looked at Helen as a great beauty…I always saw her looks as striking and bold, and her keen intellect was also a part of her physical makeup to me…I always thought that added up to her being GORJUS! I think she will ROCK THE HELL out of this!!!!
Catherine was born in Prussia. So, Germanic, not Russian.
The issue of people with non-English accents being cast as the bad guys is a problem, for sure. You’re right. To American ears, a British plumber will sound like a duke.
But I think in this role, Mirren will be great.
Also, Helen is glamourous but not “gorgeous” and should be able to pull off the role of an intelligent but not gorgeous royal quite successfully. She did so in The Queen. Imagine what powdered wigs and rouge will do.
I know Helen is Slavic, but I would love to see a Russian or German actress play the role. We hear Eastern European accents only with prostitutes, God forbid European nobility to be portrayed by something other than the British.
Her dad was born in russia. She’s half russian. Not sure if that’s close enough for yoir desire to have 100% ethnic mapping of actor to role. Which is silly. Because movies are fictions. People are playing. Who cares where they come from as long as they can act.
Anyone can play anyone as far as I’m concerned, but it bothers me that, in foreign movies the only people allowed to have Eastern European accents are prostitutes and criminals. Nobility always have British accents. It almost implies that you can’t be educated and sophisticated and Eastern European.
Helen is Russian / English. She anglicised her last name for acting purposes. Her original name is Helen Mironoff. She’s first generation born of immigrant parents.
According to wikigoogle, her father, Vasily Petrovich Mironoff, is from Kuryanovo, Smolensk Oblast, a region very close to Moscow. The family came to England due to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Let’s remember that Helen is 70+yrs old. That’s old enough to remember being raised by immigrants and refugees of that revolution and heritage.
Catherine was born in Prussia. So, Germanic, not Russian.
The issue of people with non-English accents being cast as the bad guys is a problem, for sure. You’re right. To American ears, a British plumber will sound like a duke.
But I think in this role, Mirren will be great.
Well then, they better hurry up and get a person of germanic heritage in there to play the role. Better yet, check where catharine the great’s parents were born and get an actor from there. This can go on ad naseum because it’s an inherently silly exercise.
British accents are very often used for bad guys, disproportionately I would say. Just one example would be Star Wars where virtually the whole (Nazi inspired) Empire and the First Order have British accents and the ‘good guys’ are nearly all American sounding (with some exceptions of course).
This will be incredible!!!
Yes, anything about Catherine the Great is exciting in my books
Helen is of russian descent, so im sure she’s delighted to be bringing this to screens.
Everyone: WATCH PRIME SUSPECT ASAP!!!! I can NOT recommend it enough!
I am SO HERE FOR THIS. That is all.
I really enjoyed Catherine Zeta-Jones in the role, and so I’m a little apprehensive about this…