To paraphrase The Wire, when you come at the Queen, you best not miss. In this case, the queen is Elizabeth I, played by Margot Robbie, who faces a challenge from her cousin Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan). Mary Queen Of Scots chronicles the clash between the two, and the new trailer for the period drama is online.
Director Josie Rourke’s take on the material looks both lavish and gritty, with all the production trappings of a major period piece, and some vanity-free performances – particularly from Robbie, whose unravelling Elizabeth becomes increasingly desperate to keep her throne.
There’s also a historical war feel at play here, with England Scotland clashing on the battlefield in the fight for the crown. The cast is rounded out by the likes of David Tennant, Gemma Chan, Guy Pearce and Martin Compston.
House Of Cards' Beau Willimon (no stranger to political intrigue and random assassination) wrote the script, adapting John Guy's book Queen Of Scots: The True Life Of Mary Stuart. Mary Queen Of Scots sweeps into UK cinemas on 18 January.
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