Jodie Turner-Smith to Play Anne Boleyn in Convention-Defying Channel 5 Series

Here’s a hot one: British model and Queen & Slim actress Jodie Turner-Smith is to play Anne Boleyn in a convention-defying Channel 5 drama made by the Sony-backed Stan & Ollie producer Fable Pictures.

Jodie Turner-Smith To Play Anne Boleyn In Convention-Defying Channel 5 Series From Sony-Backed Fable Pics https://t.co/sTGHOns0Bv

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) October 30, 2020

Deadline can reveal that the ViacomCBS-owned broadcaster has commissioned a three-part series that will examine the downfall of Boleyn through the prism of a psychological thriller rather than a stuffy period drama retreading the demise of King Henry VIII’s second wife.

Penned by newcomer Eve Hedderwick Turner, the drama shines a feminist light on the final months of Boleyn’s life, re-imagining her struggle with Tudor England’s patriarchal society, her desire to secure a future for her daughter, Elizabeth, and the brutal reality of her failure to provide Henry with a male heir.

Fable has assembled an eye-catching cast to star alongside Turner-Smith, who teamed with Daniel Kaluuya on racially-charged film Queen & Slim last year and has featured in TV shows including Jett and True Blood. {snip} 

{snip}Fable founders Faye Ward and Hannah Farrell are the producers. {snip}

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Ward and Farrell added: “We feel that history has side-lined the voice of this ambitious Queen in favor of the men who brought her down, and that Lynsey Miller’s beautiful, intimate vision will put Anne’s gaze at the heart of the piece.” {snip}

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