European royalty has become a particularly fertile landscape for film and television in recent years, with movies like The King's Speech and TV shows like The Crown gaining widespread notoriety for their depictions of the monarchy. For 2018, it looks like we have another notably impressive entry in that subgenre, as a trailer for Mary Queen of Scots has just debuted, and it promises an utterly transformative performance from Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I. Check it out, below!
Mary Queen of Scots centers on the historic rivalry that surfaced between cousins Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan) and Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie). The film follows the deterioration of their relationship, which eventually sees Mary attempt to overthrow Elizabeth through a military coup. Based on John Guy's book, My Heart Is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots, the film takes a gritty look at the sixteenth-century drama and features some incredible-looking performances by its leads -- particularly Robbie, who is nearly unrecognizable as Elizabeth.
Of course, one of the things that's easy to note right off the bat is the fact that Margot Robbie's performance in the movie looks particularly transformative. Her take on Queen Elizabeth I not only draws out some genuinely passionate moments from her character, but the sheer amount of makeup, costume work, and overall physical effort that has gone into her particular look in the movie seems stunning. The Australian actress has become notably skilled at transforming herself for her roles (see: Suicide Squad and I, Tonya), and it appears that Mary Queen of Scots could be another example of that trend.
Another thing worth noting about Mary Queen of Scots is the film's potential to make an impression when awards season rolls around. The trailer directly acknowledges that this movie comes to us courtesy of the people who brought us Darkest Hour last year, and the early December release date seems to nicely position the film in a way to keep it fresh in the minds of audiences when we start looking at awards frontrunners that will pop up in the following months. Couple that with the strength of the performances based on what we can see from this preview, and it becomes apparent that Mary Queen of Scots could definitely be one of the movies to watch in the latter half of 2018.
Mary Queen of Scots will premiere in theaters later this year on December 7. As always, CinemaBlend will bring you more information related to the film as it becomes available to us, and until we learn more about the upcoming period piece, you can head over to our comprehensive movie premiere guide to get more information on all of the other movies that are coming in 2018.
