lareinenoire: (Default)
lareinenoire ([personal profile] lareinenoire) wrote2007-03-04 01:55 pm

Henry VIII: Rockstar?

(Apparently I'm spamming today)

I just found out -- literally about five minutes ago -- that Showtime is doing a series based on Henry VIII.

Judging from the previews it could be good, or it could be absolutely utterly horrendous. The goal for the series, it appears, is to portray a younger and more approachable Henry. Which I can certainly understand and find interesting. That being said, the screenwriter is the same man who wrote Elizabeth, which automatically puts me on my guard. Decent enough film, absolutely butchered the history.

And, of course, this being Showtime, lots of violence and general debauchery à la Rome. Not a bad thing, just an observation.

However, the series does have Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Henry), Sam Neill (Wolsey), and Jeremy Northam (Thomas More). Plus an unknown playing Anne Boleyn who actually looks like she can pull it off (though in my mind she will need to compete with Genevieve Bujold in Anne of the Thousand Days, very difficult to do).

Apparently the Tudors are popular these days. Not surprising, given the Philippa Gregory juggernaut. Now, if only someone would wander back a few decades so they could add a chapter to my dissertation...

ETA (14:20): A number of comments on YouTube focus on how much JRM does not look like Henry VIII, as in he doesn't have red hair. I'm actually not bothered by this, since Richard Burton didn't have red hair either and he still did a very good job playing Henry VIII. I suppose it will all depend on the performance.

And is it proof of my fount of useless knowledge that I recognised every single piece of music used in the Showtime trailer?

[identity profile] lareinenoire.livejournal.com 2007-03-05 12:16 pm (UTC)(link)
::grin:: I'm waiting for *someone* to tackle the Wars of the Roses, but nobody ever will because it's far too complicated and not mainstream-audience friendly at all. Sigh. I live in hope.

[identity profile] rosamund.livejournal.com 2007-03-05 01:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Write the screenplay yourself. Dare you! ::ducks::

[identity profile] lareinenoire.livejournal.com 2007-03-05 10:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Except that I don't think I could make the Wars of the Roses any *less* confusing to someone that isn't me. ;) I'd just paint all the characters in shades of grey and then *everyone* would be confused.