Hot Picks: Marie Antoinette

This high-end production places a modern lens on the rise and fall of the French queen. Produced by Banijay Studios France, Capa Drama and Les Gens, the English-language epic charts the life of the eponymous 18th-century monarch, from when she leaves her home in Austria as a 14-year-old to marry the future King Louis XVI of France. 

Over its eight episodes, the series follows her rise through the French court as she learns to navigate the protocols and expectations placed on her as future queen. 

The eight-part series – a Canal+ création originale – springs from the mind and pen of Deborah Davis, creator, writer and producer of period feature The Favourite, which won Olivia Colman the 2019 Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of another 18th-century monarch, Queen Anne. 

Davis’s drama offers an alternative view of the avant-garde Marie Antoinette, depicting her status as a fashion icon, as she strives to create a Versailles in her own image: a free, spirited and independent feminist who was ahead of her time and more than able to handle the court rumours and whispers intended to undermine her reputation. 

“Everyone knows her name internationally” says Banijay Rights senior vice-president of acquisitions Simon Cox. “It’s probably one of the first times [the story has] really been broad enough for a global audience to consume and get into that world and understand what happened.” 

With the weight of an eight-hour run-time, the drama gives the story the “room to breathe” that previous dramatisations have not, says Cox, while the “hugely cinematic” backdrop provides the gloss to attract buyers.

It is not the first time Banijay Rights has taken an opulent French period drama series to market. Capa Drama’s lavish three-series epic Versailles – also for Canal+ – sold to SVoDs and traditional broadcasters around the world, notably coming to BBC2 in the UK.

Cox predicts a similar story this time around: “Globally, it’s going to end up on different types of channels because it appeals to premium-pay services, to free-TV and to streamers.”

Emilia Schüle (Ku’damm 56) assumes the title role, with Jack Archer (The Bay) and James Purefoy (The Following; The Hollow Crown) joining the cast.

Davis’s writing team includes Louise Ironside (The Split), Avril E. Russell (All On A Summer’s Day) and Chloë Moss (Run Sister Run), with Pete Travis (Bloodlands) and Geoffrey Enthoven (Les Enfants De L’amour) co-directing.

Versailles duo Claude Chelli and Aude Albano produce for Capa Drama alongside Alban Étienne and Stéphanie Chartreux for Banijay Studios France and Christophe Toulemonde for Les Gens.

Banijay Rights has already begun distributing the series, with a high-profile deal to BBC2 marking its first international sale. Marie Antoinette’s “enduring fascination” proved a compelling reason for the corporation to acquire the drama, according to Cox.