Before Olivia Colman takes the throne as Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's The Crown, she'll be playing a very different monarch.
Colman stars as Queen Anne in The Favourite, filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos' upcoming period drama set in early 18th century England, a time of turmoil and war, but also frivolity and massively powdered wigs.
Because of the queen's poor health, her chosen favourite, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) basically governs the country. But her privileged position is threatened when a new servant, Abigail (Emma Stone) catches Anne's eye.
So far, this could be the plot of any film starring Keira Knightley. But don't be fooled — The Favourite is not your average politely repressed British costume film. Lanthimos, whose previous credits include 2015's The Lobster and 2017's The Killing of A Sacred Deer, is known for his quirky surrealism, and dark humour.
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"Favour is a breeze that shifts direction all the time, then in an instant you're back sleeping with a bunch of scabrous whores," Nicholas Hoult's character says in the film's trailer, released today. You think Mean Girls was bad? Try those dynamics against the backdrop of the 18th century British royal court. On Wednesdays, they wear ostrich plumes.
The film has already been named as a possible Oscar contender after premiering to rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival, and then the Telluride Film Festival last week. Keep your eye on this one.
Watch the full trailer below:
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