Clearly the success of Helen Mirren’s The Queen, and Helen Mirren’s TV series Elizabeth I, has convinced Hollywood that there’s something in this whole British queens thing. With that in mind, Martin Scorsese and his regular producing partner, Graham King, are reteaming to bring us the tale of The Young Victoria, about the life of the, er, young Queen Victoria. So not a trick title then.
His Scorseseness won't be directing - that honour falls to Canadian Jean Marc Vallée of C.R.A.Z.Y. fame, from a script by Gosford** **Park screenwriter and Oscar winner Julian Fellows. The story follows the turbulent early years of the monarch’s reign, after she ascended to the throne at the age of only 18 and into her legendary romance with and marriage to Prince Albert. It appears that the story will carry on right up until his death in 1861, after which the Queen remained in mourning for the rest of her life, and largely retreated from the public eye. We can only hope and presume that the line, “We are not amused” crops up somewhere.
An interesting twist is that the script was apparently brought to King’s attention by Fergie – no, no the tabloid fixture and Black Eyed Pea Fergie, but the one with the red hair and the Weightwatchers and the connection to the Royal family. She’ll be a credited producer on the project, which if you ask us is a big step up from being a princess. Well done, your redheadedness!
And casting? Well, there’s no news yet, but on current form we’d say that Helen Mirren has to be in the running. After all, she has a) played practically every other British ruling queen; b) shown an ability to play twenty years older than she is, so why not thirty years younger?; c) won an Oscar (probably). We’ll keep you up to date as we learn more.