King James I may have topped England, but he bottomed for George apparently

In the upcoming period miniseries Mary & George, Nicholas Galitzine and Julianne Moore will do anything for a position in the royal court (including even more positions in the royal bedroom). And the new trailer teases that the series will be even more unabashedly queer than we first suspected. Along the way, we finally got a release date.

Set in the 1600s, the seven-part series follows the ambitious Mary Villiers (Moore) who seeks to advance her station in court after noticing that King James VI of Scotland and I of England (Tony Curran) has his eye on her son, George (Galitzine). In the latest trailer, we see George and the king engaged in various compromising positions. And it looks like George is not alone in exploring his sexuality—Mary herself has her own share of queer entanglements.

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“Mary & George is inspired by the unbelievable true story of Mary Villiers, who molded her beautiful and charismatic son, George, to seduce King James VI of Scotland and I of England and become his all-powerful lover,” the synopsis reads.

“Through outrageous scheming, the pair rose from humble beginnings to become the richest, most titled and influential players the English court had ever seen, and the King’s most trusted advisors.  And with England’s place on the world stage under threat from a Spanish invasion and rioters taking to the streets to denounce the King, the stakes could not have been higher.”

Based on the nonfiction book The King’s Assassin by Benjamin Woolley, adapted by Killing Eve screenwriter DC Moore, the series promises to be much more than your average political potboiler. “Mary & George is a dangerously daring historical psychodrama about an outrageous mother and son who schemed, seduced, and killed to conquer the court of England and the bed of King James,” the synopsis concludes.

Galitzine is known to queer fans as another royal seducer, Prince Henry, in the adaptation of Red, White & Royal Blue. And it turns out that’s not the only connection between the two projects.

In Casey McQuiston’ novel (on which the film was based), Prince Henry reflects, “I feel that James I, who fell madly in love with a very fit and exceptionally dim knight at a tilting match and immediately made him a gentleman of the bedchamber (a real title), would take mercy upon my particular plight.” So in our imaginary cinematic universe, Prince Henry is falling for America’s first son while commiserating with his own past life as a gay knight?

Take notes, Marvel.

Mary & George premieres on Starz in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK on March 5.

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