After a thirty year career in movies, it appears that Helen Mirren may have finally been typecast. Last night she cleaned up at the Emmys for playing in the made for TV movie Elizabeth I, and in a few weeks she'll be in theaters playing Elizabeth II in The Queen.

Her new Elizabeth movie won't focus so much on her royal highness as on her royal highnesses interaction with other people. It's billed as a behind the scenes look at the Queen's dealings with people like Tony Blair in the aftermath of the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

Gripping stuff I suppose for Brits and bored American housewives who inexplicably obsessed over the princess, for the rest of us… well Helen Mirren had better be goddamn brilliant if the film's to find general audiences. Fortunately, she's Helen Mirren and brilliant often comes with the territory.

Miramax has handed us the first poster for The Queen. Click on the small version posted with this story to see Mirren's eye enlarged life size. Then click on over to our photo gallery to see new stills from the film.