Scarlett as the ill-fated Scottish queen
It is now officially announced that Scarlett will be in another historical film portraying one of the best-known Scottish monarchs, Mary Queen of Scots.
International Herald Tribune reported that “the deal was announced Thursday by production company Relativity Media at the Cannes Film Festival.”
It will be directed by James Curran of “The Painted Veil” fame and a screenplay by Jimmy McGovern of the UK TV crime drama “Cracker.”
The producers said the film would see Mary “battle political enemies, scheming allies, and affairs of the heart in her quest to reunite the warring tribes of her native Scotland.”
One of the producers is Scarlett’s mom, Melanie. The story of the ill-fated Mary was so colourful, chaotic and tragic that the actress will find lots of room to make it more challenging.
Would she hire a speech and language coach to prepare her to speak with Scottish accent? Mel Gibson did just that. Some people found his Scottish accent in “Braveheart” awkward and artificial. In the end, he won several accolades for the role.
The Roman Catholic Mary Stuart who ruled Scotland from 1542 to 1567 was married three times. At the age of 5 was bethroted to the French Dauphin, Francois, making her as one of the daughters-in-law of the cunning Catherine de Medici.
Mary wasn’t lucky in love. Either her consort was childish or hostile. But both were very much into her throne and obtaining power. It was said that she masterminded the murder of her second husband. Her third husband even kidnapped her for forced marriage.
She was born between the warring factions in Scotland and reigned at the time of religious wars. Though many people believed that she was the rightful queen of England, her shaky relationship with her Protestant cousin, Elizabeth I, paved the way for her downfall. Accused of treason, “Mary was implicated in several plots to assassinate Elizabeth, raise the Catholic North of England, and put herself on the throne, possibly with French or Spanish help. The major plot for the political takeover was the Babington Plot, but some of Mary’s supporters believed it and other plots to be either fictitious or undertaken without Mary’s knowledge.” Elizabeth, without hearing any of it, allowed Mary to be beheaded at the age of 42.
I am excited to see who would be the other actors beside Scarlett.
Recommended supplement film: “Elizabeth” starring Cate Blanchett
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