Netflix Just Gave Viewers Their First Look At Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Netflix held its TUDUM event Saturday, releasing a host of trailers and information about new and continuing shows, including a scene from the upcoming "Bridgerton" limited prequel series "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story." Netflix announced the series last spring and tagged Shonda Rhimes as the series' writer. She will also share executive producer duties with frequent collaborators Betsy Beers and Tom Verica.
Bela Bajaria, the streamer's head of global television, told Deadline, "Many viewers had never known the story of Queen Charlotte before 'Bridgerton' brought her to the world ... Shonda and her team are thoughtfully building out the 'Bridgerton' universe so they can keep delivering for the fans with the same quality and style they love ... we also hope to keep up a pace that will keep even the most insatiable viewers totally fulfilled."
India Amarteifio ("Line of Duty," "The Tunnel") will star as the young Queen Charlotte, and holdovers from the original series include Golda Rosheuvel as the older version of the Queen, Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton, Hugh Sachs as Brimley, and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury. Given the immense popularity of the original series, fans no doubt are eagerly anticipating the spinoff, and the teaser offers a quick but vivid glimpse into the world that awaits them.
Charlotte is apparently trying to escape her own wedding
The teaser scene shows an early interaction between young Charlotte and George, with the young bride-to-be trying to scale a palace garden wall. Charlotte has some choice words for her father, and challenges George to help vault her over the vine-covered brick barrier. "I'm a lady in distress," she tells him. "You refuse to help a lady in distress?" He responds, "I refuse when that lady in distress is trying to go over a wall, so she doesn't have to marry me."
The TUDUM site describes "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" as "the story of the young monarch in the days before her excellent wigs and her quest to uncover the identity of Lady Whistledown. The series delves into Charlotte's and King George III's (Corey Mylchreest) great love story and how it sparked a societal shift, creating the world of the ton inherited by the characters in 'Bridgerton.'"
The preview only shows the rocky beginnings of that great love story, but Charlotte is clearly disarmed by the man who would help her inspire that shift. In this brief moment, it appears that her irresistible force is meeting up with his immovable object, and history and "Bridgerton" can tell us what that combination brought. "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" will show us the path to that point and apparently will do so with the expected Shonda Rhimes touch of charm and wit.