The Great Pits Queenly Elle Fanning Against A Chauvinistic Nicholas Hoult

Period pieces have made something of a major comeback from late 2019 while in early 2020, what with Dickinson, and right now Hulu's The Great. We're definitely not complaining, because this contemporary take on the life of Catherine the Fantastic looks deliciously messy in the ideal kind of way.


The show's first trailer streams the very vibes you likely got from The Favourite or equally tongue-in-cheek historical drama Marie Antoinette. Penned by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Tony McNamara, who was in back of that very film, it follows the rise (and rise, darling) of Catherine the Wonderful (Elle Fanning) as she blossoms into Russia's fearless female leader, who lead longer than any other girls in her position.


But Catherine has a problem on her hands: a 200-lb. Problem called her spouse which she noticed herself saddled with because the result of an arranged marriage. Emperor Peter (Nicholas Hoult) is a chauvinistic, depraved jerk who doesn't visualize the harm in insisting she make "heirs" for him and take "her place" as a woman in the household as a substitute opposed to rule. What's Catherine to do? Kill him off, obviously, and win over enough folks so that she can ascend to the throne.


Across 10 episodes, we'll watch an idealistic young girl slowly become educated to the ways of the world and defeat a society that apparently wants her to fail (or perish at the hands of her spouse). No pressure, right?


The comedy stars Phoebe Fox, Adam Godley, Gwilym Lee, Charity Wakefield, Douglas Hodge, Sacha Dhawan, Sebastian de Souza, Bayo Gbadamosi, and Belinda Bromilow, and is set to air next month. That leaves you plenty of time to read up on the real Catherine.


Ready for a raucous journey through history on Hulu? Get willing to watch Catherine rise as The Great is set to premiere on Hulu on May 15.