“We actually pride ourselves on the lack of historical accuracy,” says Fanning of bawdy, satirical and not-so-accurate tale from the writer behind ‘The  Favourite.’

Lying atop the red velvety covers of an ornate four-poster bed in a gold-soaked set on a rainy day in London, a sickly looking Nicholas Hoult takes swigs from a bottle of water between takes.

“Men love me for my parties, women and … [gulp] … delicious food,” he splutters moments later after the camera begins rolling (bottle now hidden under the blanket), groaning and retching while Elle Fanning, in a corseted light-green gown and tightly curled blond wig, stands at his feet, feigning concern.

“And women love me for my massive cock.”

Welcome to the world of The Great, Hulu’s bawdy, satirical and not exactly (in many cases, not remotely) historically accurate retelling of the early years of Russia’s famed 18th century monarch Catherine the Great.

“We actually pride ourselves on the lack of historical accuracy,” says Fanning with a laugh, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter during the Nov. 26 set visit from a room just around the corner, this one littered with ornate chairs (most protected by plastic sheeting). In her first TV role, Fanning plays the pre-Great royal as a fresh-faced 20-year-old thrown into the “bonkers” universe of her feeble-minded, mistress-loving emperor husband, Hoult’s Peter III, and the maneuvering and plotting that would see her — eventually — ascend the throne.

“He’s a bad guy, but I don’t dislike him,” says Hoult, adding that The Great’s somewhat casual approach to the truth meant he didn’t feel the need to read up on his character, as he normally would for such a role. “He’s up-front and honest, and that is kind of likable. Sure, he does terrible things, but he’s very open about it.”

Later on in the scene, Peter III ruminates on the things he hoped to achieve in his lifetime as ruler, including renaming July after himself.

“Each line of dialogue is something you’ll probably never get to say on another show, or any other time,” says Hoult with a laugh.

There’s something to be said, given all Catherine the Great did in her lifetime as the late 18th-century ruler of Russia, that the unfortunate bestiality rumor — you know, the one about the horse — remains.

“Fake news,” said Elle Fanning on the Variety After Show, presented by National Geographic, on Instagram Live. “It’s pretty sad [that] this extraordinary, almost — dare I say — first feminist icon has been reduced to this horse rumor,” she said.

Fanning plays the Russian empress in her new Hulu satirical series, “The Great,” which kicks off with Catherine’s arrival in the country to wed the mercurial, temperamental Peter (Nicholas Hoult). Her optimism about the union is quickly dissolved as Hoult’s Peter soon reveals his capacity for cruelty and selfishness, leading to her plans for a coup. The show, as Variety critic Caroline Framke puts it, “straddles the line between period drama and slapstick comedy with acrobatic ease.”

“We’re definitely in the pocket of that dark comedy, and [creator] Tony [McNamara]’s writing is so specific and witty and irreverent,” said Fanning. “It’s so fun to play with, but you have to get the tone right — especially the rhythm of the words needs to be at a certain pace. And I think it was so important for us — the whole cast is so gifted dramatically and comedically — so we were able to go back and forth and walk that tightrope.”

More great stills of the upcoming Elle Fanning’ series, ‘The Great’, have been added to the gallery. You can go to the gallery and enjoy the photos.

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I have added some stills of the upcoming Elle Fanning’ series, ‘The Great’. You can go to the gallery and enjoy the photos. Can’t wait to whatch the series!

Oscar-nominated writer and showrunner Tony McNamara doesn’t reckon he’ll get any warm, fuzzy letters from historians about his upcoming Hulu series The Great, a deliciously ahistorical take on the rise of Catherine the Great. The series, which stars Elle Fanning as the titular Russian monarch, traces the outline of Catherine’s life, then colors it in with lurid details and wild dialogue dreamt up by McNamara—who also wrote 2018’s The Favourite, a punk period piece about Queen Anne.

“I find period shows too polite on the whole,” he said. “They’re so drowned in their own historical facts.”

In a new trailer for the series, available exclusively on Vanity Fair, Catherine begins settling into life with her new husband, the immature Peter III, played by Nicholas Hoult. “She’s an extreme optimist in the beginning, and has this kind of beautiful look on life and love—and then is in for a real big rude awakening when she gets to Russia,” Fanning said of her character.

The comedy series about the rise of Catherine the Great, created by ‘The Favourite’ writer Tony McNamara, is due to land on Hulu in the U.S.

The Great, the upcoming comedic period drama about Catherine the Great starring Elle Fanning as the Russian monarch, has been picked up by Starzplay for a raft of global territories.

Starz’s international streaming platform acquired the series — created by Oscar-nominated The Favourite writer Tony McNamara and due to premiere on Hulu in the U.S. in May — for the U.K., Ireland, German-speaking Europe, French-speaking Europe, Italian-speaking Europe, Spain, Benelux, Latin America and Brazil. The MRC Television show, being sold by ViacomCBS Global Distribution, also went to Channel 4 (U.K.), Stan (Australia), HBO (Portugal, Baltics, Central Eastern Europe, Nordic), Sky (New Zealand), CJ ENM (Korea), OSN (Middle East and North Africa), more.tv (Russia and CIS) and Quebecor Content (Canada).

A satirical, comedic drama about the rise of Catherine the Great from outsider to the longest reigning female ruler in Russia’s history, The Great plays fast and loose with historical facts. Alongside Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Adam Godley, Gwilym Lee, Charity Wakefield, Douglas Hodge, Sacha Dhawan, Sebastian de Souza, Bayo Gbadamosi and Belinda Bromilow also star.

The series is created, written and executive produced by McNamara and executive produced by Marian Macgowan, Thruline’s Josh Kesselman and Ron West, Fanning, Mark Winemaker, Matt Shakman and Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward, Doug Mankoff and Andrew Spaulding. The project is produced by Civic Center Media in association with MRC Television.

MRC Television shares a parent company, Valence Media, with The Hollywood Reporter. [Source]