The White Queen Official Trailer Shows Women At Odds

It's always worth noting when a series presents a female character with strength and authority, which is one of the things that stands out in the trailer for Starz's upcoming new limited series drama The White Queen. In the absence of Spartacus - a drama that featured a number of strong female characters - it's great to see another series showcasing a female who doesn't appear to be a damsel in distress, though there's plenty of drama glimpsed in this first official trailer for The White Queen, and more than a hint that some of these female characters will be at odds with one another.

Set in 1464 and adapted from Philippa Gregory's novels based on England's War of Roses, The White Queen is a 10-episode series that stars Rebecca Ferguson as Elizabeth Woodville, the future bride of Max Irons' Edward IV, the heir of the House York, which is feuding with the House of Lancaster. Edward is crowned king and soon falls for Elizabeth, who happens to be a Lancastrian commoner. As Starz puts it, this leads to a violent, high-stakes struggle for the crown, which ensues between Elizabeth, her fiercest adversary, Lancastrian Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville, a pawn in her father's power game.

In addition to Ferguson and Irons, The White Queen also stars Janet McTeer as Elizabeth's mother Jacquetta Woodville, James Frain - who plays Lord Warwick a.k.a. The Kingmaker - and Amanda Hale, who plays the mother to Henry Tudor, Margaret Beaufort. If the series is as dramatic and exciting as the trailer teases, we're in for something good with The White Queen, which premieres Saturday, August 10 at 9:00 p.m. on Starz. It's also set to air on BBC One.

The White Queen

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly put her life-long love of movies, TV and books to greater use when she joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006, and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before joining the staff full-time in 2011 and moving over to other roles at the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing features, analyzing site data, working with writers and editors on content planning and the workflow, and (of course) continuing to obsess over the best movies and TV shows (those that already exist, and the many on the way). She graduated from SUNY Cortland with BA in Communication Studies and a minor in Cinema Studies. When she isn't working, she's probably thinking about work, or reading (or listening to a book), and making sure her cats are living their absolute best feline lives.