A deliciously dangerous eight-part limited series based on the true story of Mary Villiers (Moore), who moulded her beautiful son, George, to seduce King James I and become his all-powerful lover.
Through outrageous scheming, the pair rose from humble beginnings to become the richest, most titled, and most influential mother and son England had ever seen. The series is due to begin filming in early 2023 and debut later next year.
Mary & George is produced by Hera Pictures in association with Sky Studios and is written by acclaimed playwright DC Moore (Killing Eve, Temple), inspired by the non-fiction book “The King’s Assassin” by Benjamin Woolley.
The lead director is Oliver Hermanus, award winning director of Moffie and Living, currently screening to critical acclaim at Sundance, Venice, Telluride, Toronto and London.
Julianne Moore is an Academy Award, BAFTA and Emmy winning actor, and the first American woman to be awarded top acting prizes at the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice film festivals. This past August she was appointed the President of the Jury for the Venice Film Festival.
Julianne Moore said, “Mary Villiers was a woman who through her own actions rose to become a powerful and influential figure in Jacobean London. It’s a daunting but exhilarating challenge to bring her to life on screen.”
Liza Marshall, Executive Producer for Hera Pictures said, “The incredible Julianne Moore is our dream casting for Mary – a woman who was damned by her contemporaries but was always the smartest person in the room.
Indomitable women like Mary have too often been written out of history but with DC Moore’s brilliant scripts and Oliver Hermanus at the helm, we will reclaim her story to make a truly unique, unmissable show.”
