The Serpent Queen, an upcoming American period drama television series, will focus on Catherine de’ Medici’s life.
The historical drama will be divided into eight episodes. Stacie Passon, who wrote and directed the 2018 mystery We Have Always Lived in the Castle and recently directed four episodes of Dickinson in 2019, directed the pilot episode and a few others.
Everything we know about the upcoming series is summarized here, including the famous cast and the historical events that served as inspiration.
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Where Did The Serpent Queen Take Place?
Filming for “The Serpent Queen” took place in Amboise, Marseille, Chambord, Villandry, Chenonceaux, and Castel Gandolfo in France and Italy. According to reports, principal filming for the first season of the historical series began in April 2021 and ended in September of the same year.
In a September 2022 interview with Cinemablend, showrunner Erwin Stoff explained that, despite the fact that Season 1 was shot during the Covid-19 pandemic, it benefited the studio.
The production crew of ‘The Serpent Queen’ even stopped at Castel Gandolfo, an Italian village in the Lazio region, for the lens. They shot many Italian scenes on the grounds of the Papal Palace Castel Gandolfo in Piazza della Libertà. Liv Hill (Catherine) talked about her experience filming in the exact locations where her character had lived for the majority of the shoots.
The “The Serpent Queen” crew reportedly camped out in Marseille, France’s second-largest city, to film several scenes for the series. Marseille, a French city bordered by the Gulf of Lion and the Rhône River, stands out from the rest of the country due to its distinct culture. There are numerous historical and maritime museums there, and it is also regarded as a regional cultural and leisure hub.
More Information on Other Locations in France
Amboise, a city in central France, is the setting for several key scenes in “The Serpent Queen.” It is well-known for housing the fabled Leonardo da Vinci at the Clos Lucé estate in the department of Indre-et-Loire. In addition, a famous 20th-century fountain designed by Max Ernst sits directly in front of the marketplace, attracting a large number of visitors.
To represent the massive fortresses typical of the 16th century, the cast and crew of “The Serpent Queen” use actual historical castles in various locations throughout France.
Several key scenes were shot on location in and around the communes of Chenonceaux and Chambord, which are home to the Château de Chenonceau and Château de Chambord, respectively. The Château de Villandry, located at 3 Rue Principale in Villandry, also serves as an important production location in the Serpent Queen series.
The True Story of The Serpent Queen
The Serpent Queen contains a distinct form of revisionist history. The television series, based on Frieda’s nonfiction biography of Catherine de’ Medici, imagines the legendary life and rule of Catherine de’ Medici. It is also clear that the show will deviate from the norm in order to explore unique aesthetic perspectives.
Catherine married Henry, the second child of French King Francis I and Queen Claude, when she was fourteen years old, according to Wikipedia. Pope Clement VII, Catherine’s uncle, arranged their marriage.
Instead of allowing Catherine to participate in government matters, Henry preferred his main mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who wielded significant power over him.
Catherine was thrust into the political spotlight after Henry’s death in 1559, as the mother of the frail 15-year-old King Francis II. After Francis II’s death in 1560, she was given extensive powers and assumed regency on behalf of her 10-year-old son, King Charles IX.
After Charles died in 1574, Catherine was critical to the reign of Henry III, her third son. He stopped listening to her advice only in her final months, and he lived seven months longer than she did.
Ascend to Power
Catherine’s three sons ruled France during a period of nearly constant political and religious conflict. The monarchy faced difficult challenges. Catherine, on the other hand, kept the governmental institutions, including the monarchy, at a bare minimum.
Catherine initially made concessions and compromises with the insurgent Calvinist Protestants, also known as Huguenots. She did not, however, fully grasp the theological concerns that drove their movement. She later turned to strict regulations against them out of frustration and rage.
In exchange, she was held responsible for the persecutions carried out by her sons, particularly the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572, which resulted in the deaths of many Huguenots in Paris and throughout France.
Although some historians have absolved Catherine of responsibility for the most severe royal judgments, her letters provide additional evidence of her harshness. In reality, the legacy of the civil wars had always limited her authority. It is unlikely that her sons would have remained in power without Catherine.
Meet The Serpent Queen Cast Samanta Morton As Catherine De’Medici
Samantha Morton, an English actress with BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations, plays the notorious Catherine de’Medici. By the early 2000s, Morton had established himself as a key figure on the indie film scene.
She appeared in Morvern Callar (2002), for which she received a BIFA Award for Best Actress, and In America (2003), for which she received a second Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actress.
Morton was a member of the Central Junior Television Workshop in her hometown of Nottingham, where she began her career in British television in 1991.
She guest starred in two episodes of Cracker, four episodes of Soldier Soldier, and one episode of Peak Practice in 1994. She had a larger role in the ITV series Band of Gold, where she appeared in twelve episodes (1995–1996).
Young Catherine is played by Liv Hill
It’s difficult to have two actors play the same part. To portray Catherine’s story, however, you must emphasize how young she was when she was uprooted from her life, dumped in this court, and forced to complete her marriage in front of a large audience of strangers.
To understand what she did to survive, you must first understand how small she was when she was first assigned this task. According to reports, after attending an audition, Liv stood out as the best.
She is best known for her roles in the BBC drama Three Girls in 2017 and the British film Jellyfish, in which she plays Sarah.
Aabis is played by Amrita Acharia, a Norwegian, English, and Ukrainian actress. When Catherine de Medici married Henri, Aabis was chosen to travel to France with her as part of her company.
Aabis possessed a beauty that roused the desire of powerful men on a regular basis, making her everything Catherine was not. She was relieved that Catherine had saved her from the predatory Pope Clement, but once in France, Aabis made Catherine envious.
Acharia began his acting career in 2010 with small roles in television shows and short films. She appeared in the 2011 season of Game of Thrones as Irri, the Dothraki servant of Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen.
Lee Ingleby in the role of Prince Henry
Prince Henry is played by Lee Ingleby. Henri appeared to be the prince of every girl’s dreams. From a young age, Henri was troubled by the fact that his father had used him and his brother, the Dauphin Francois, as political pawns and kidnapped them in Spain.
Lee is best known for his roles as Detective Sergeant/Detective Inspector John Bacchus in the BBC series Inspector George Gently. He also played Stan Shunpike in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He portrayed Paul Hughes, the father of Joe, an autistic child, in the BBC drama The A Word.
English actor Enzo Cilenti plays Ruggieri Cosimo Ruggeri, an Italian astrologer and occultist who advises Catherine de’Medici. Cilenti made his first appearance in the television series Trial & Retribution in 1998 as Antonio Bellini.
He played the supporting character Lenny in the 2001 comedy Late Night Shopping and Carlo Franceschini in the BBC spy drama MI-5.
Cilenti has also appeared in films and TV shows such as The Theory of Everything, Supercollider, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Prisoners’ Wives.
Charles Dance in the role of Pope Clement
Catherine’s uncle and the person who arranges her wedding is two-time SAGA champion Pope Clement VII, played by English actor Charles Dance.
He was chosen as the head of the Catholic Church not because of any theological conviction, but because the Medicis realized that in order to rule effectively, they would need to install a member of their own family in that position.
In his capacity as Catherine’s guardian, he arranged her marriage to the French prince. He paid little attention to his deceptive promises, such as a large dowry, leaving Catherine to bear the consequences of his actions.
Dance has had a stellar career since making his film debut in 1974. In 1984, he played Guy Perron in the drama The Jewel in the Crown, which was one of his first major roles. He appeared in the 1992 film Alien 3 as Dr. Jonathan Clemens.
Jaques, George George Jaques plays Francis II and Kiruna Stamell as Mathilde, the firstborn of Catherine de’Medici and ruler from 1559 to 1560. Jaques recently appeared in the Agatha Christie thriller film 2022 as a German soldier. His next film, Surprised by Oxford, is currently in post-production, and he is also filming the television show A Town Called Malice.
Mathilde, played by actress Kiruna Stamell, was enlisted as a servant at the monastery where Catherine de Medici was raised. Mathilde owed Catherine her freedom because she accompanied her to the French court when she married.
Mathilde was ideal for Catherine because she was morally immoral by nature. Kiruna has appeared in films such as Moulin Rouge! (2001), The Best Offer (2013), and EastEnders (1985).
King Francis is played by Colm Meaney
Because of his inflated ego, ravenous appetite, and previous military prowess, Colm Meaney portrays King Francis, who was virulent, aggressive, and easy to control.
The actor played Thomas Durant in Hell on Wheels and has appeared as a guest star on several television shows, including Law & Order and The Simpsons (2011–2016).
