Thursday, September 26, 2019

Starz Holds Court with New and Returning Cast for "The Spanish Princess"

Starz Holds Court with New and Returning Cast for "The Spanish Princess"
Ray Stevenson, Sai Bennett, Andrew Buchan and Peter Egan join a returning class which includes Laura Carmichael, Georgie Henley and Stephanie Levi-John.
[via press release from Starz] STARZ HOLDS COURT WITH NEW AND RETURNING CAST FOR "THE SPANISH PRINCESS"

Laura Carmichael, Georgie Henley and Stephanie Levi-John Return Alongside New Cast Members Ray Stevenson, Sai Bennett, Andrew Buchan and Peter Egan
Emma Frost and Matthew Graham Continue as Showrunners, with Chanya Button Leading Female Director Line-up

Santa Monica, Calif. - September 26, 2019 - Starz, a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), today announced the start of production on the eight-episode conclusion of "The Spanish Princess," with returning leads Charlotte Hope ("The English Game," "Game of Thrones") and Ruairi O'Connor ("Delicious," Teen Spirit) reprising their roles as the ruling couple Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. Other key cast also returning are Stephanie Levi-John (Diversion, Striking Out) as Catherine's trusted confidante Lina de Cardonnes, Georgie Henley (The Chronicles of Narnia Trilogy) as Henry's younger sister and Queen of Scotland Margaret ("Meg") Tudor and Laura Carmichael ("Downton Abbey," A United Kingdom) as Margaret ("Maggie") Pole.

New cast members joining the limited series include Ray Stevenson ("Rome," The Thor Franchise) as Meg's boorish husband, King James IV of Scotland and Sai Bennett ("Mr. Selfridge," "Close to the Enemy") as Henry and Meg's sister Princess Mary, now of age to forge a political alliance for the Tudors through her own marriage. Andrew Buchan ("Broadchurch," "The Honourable Woman") joins as the upwardly mobile Sir Thomas More and Peter Egan ("Downton Abbey," "The Unforgotten") is set to play Tudor stalwart General Howard.

Emma Frost (STARZ Originals "The White Queen" and "The White Princess;" "The Man in High Castle") and Matthew Graham ("Life on Mars," "Electric Dreams," "Dr. Who") will continue their role as showrunners and Executive Producers. These concluding episodes will feature a three female director lineup, beginning with Chanya Button ("World on Fire," Vita & Virginia) in the first block, followed by Lisa Clarke ("The Spanish Princess," "Sanditon") and Rebecca Gatward ("Dublin Murders," "Traces").

"The Spanish Princess" is the third installment following the Golden Globe(R) and Emmy(R) award-nominated STARZ Original Miniseries "The White Queen" and the critically acclaimed STARZ Original Limited Series "The White Princess." Produced by All3 Media's New Pictures and Playground, the Limited Series is drawn from the global best-selling novels, The Constant Princess and The King's Curse, written by Philippa Gregory.

"The Spanish Princess" continues the story of Queen Catherine and Henry VIII. Presiding over the most glamorous court in Europe and beloved by their people, together they create an England that is proud, confident and strong enough to withstand threat from abroad. Catherine's struggle to produce an heir places her marriage and position in the court at risk, and she is haunted by her choices from the past. Despite proving herself a politician, a diplomat, a national inspiration and even a military commander, Catherine must battle to save her love with the King, and to preserve the peace and prosperity of their reign. Shooting takes place on location and in The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol, UK.

About Starz
Starz (www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), is a leading global media and entertainment company that produces and distributes premium streaming content to worldwide audiences across subscription television platforms. Starz is home to the flagship domestic STARZ(R) brand, STARZ ENCORE, 17 premium pay TV channels and the associated on-demand and online services, including the highly rated STARZ app. With the launch of the STARZPLAY international premium streaming platform and STARZ PLAY Arabia, Starz is expanding its global footprint in a growing number of territories. Sold through multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, telecommunications companies, and other online and digital platforms, Starz offers subscribers more than 7,500 distinct premium television episodes and feature films, including STARZ Original series, first-run movies and other popular programming.
About Playground

Playground is a New York and London based television, film and theatre production company founded in 2012 by award-winning producer Colin Callender. It is committed to producing smart, entertaining drama for the screen and the stage bringing together the finest US and UK talent from the worlds of theatre, film, and television.

Playground has produced over 75 hours of primetime television drama garnering 16 Emmy nominations, 27 BAFTA nominations, and 12 Golden Globe nominations, including winning a Golden Globe for Best Miniseries.

Recent productions include Wolf Hall, the BAFTA, Golden Globe and Peabody Award winning miniseries starring Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis and Claire Foy for the BBC and Masterpiece, and The Dresser, the RTS winning television adaptation of Ronald Harwood's acclaimed play starring Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins and directed by Richard Eyre for the BBC and Starz, The White Princess, a limited series for Starz drawn from the bestselling book by Philippa Gregory, Howards End, Academy Award-winner Kenneth Lonergan's adaptation of E.M. Forster's classic novel starring Hayley Atwell, Matthew Macfadyen and Tracey Ullman directed by Hettie Macdonald for the BBC and Starz, Little Women adapted by Heidi Thomas and starring Emily Watson, Michael Gambon and Angela Lansbury for the BBC and Masterpiece, and King Lear starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson and directed by Richard Eyre for the BBC and Amazon.

Playground's previous theatre productions on Broadway include: Nora Ephron's Tony-nominated Lucky Guy directed by George C. Wolfe starring Tom Hanks in his Broadway debut, Harvey Fierstein's Tony-nominated Casa Valentina directed by Joe Mantello, the Tony award-winning revival of musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Jez Butterworth's The River directed by Ian Rickson starring Hugh Jackman, and Kenneth Branagh and Rob Ashford's critically acclaimed groundbreaking production of Macbeth at The Park Avenue Armory in New York, and, in the West End, John Tiffany's The Glass Menagerie and Casey Nicholaw's Dreamgirls.

Playground, in partnership with Sonia Friedman Productions, is currently producing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End where it won a record-breaking 9 Olivier Awards, on Broadway where it won 6 Tony Awards, including Best Play, and in Melbourne. Other current theatre productions include the Tony Award-winning best musical Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway.
About New Pictures

New Pictures was established by Charlie Pattinson, Elaine Pyke, Willow Grylls and Richard Nelson in 2013 to produce television drama for all markets.

In its first years of operation New Pictures produced two seasons of the critically acclaimed The Missing for BBC One and Starz, and two seasons of Indian Summers for Channel 4 and WGBH.
New Pictures productions have included crime thriller series Rellik for BBC One and Cinemax, supernatural drama Requiem for BBC One and Netflix, and The Innocents; a shape-shifting love story for Netflix Originals. New Pictures recently completed Catherine the Great - a sweeping historical epic starring Helen Mirren for Sky and HBO airing October 3rd in the UK and October 21st in the US. They have also completed Cobra (6x60) for Sky starring Robert Carlyle and Victoria Hamilton airing next year.

Between them, the executive team have produced or commissioned over a thousand hours of award winning drama for every major UK broadcaster and for HBO, Cinemax, WGBH, CBS, MTV and Showtime in the USA. 

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