Fans of Canal+’s series Marie Antoinette are going to have their cake and eat it too as Variety reports that the title has been granted a second season. Airing in the United States via PBS, the Emilia Schüle (Ku’damm 56/63) and Louis Cunningham (Bridgerton) led series will continue to be backed by The Favourite writer Deborah Davis. Meanwhile, audiences can expect to see next season’s vision come together courtesy of The Last Kingdom and Doctor Who director Ed Bazalgette who will kick off the next chapter by helming the first four episodes.
Set for a premiere date in the United States on March 19, 2023 on PBS, the show’s first season will follow the story of the young Marie Antoinette (Schüle) as she rises through the ranks of nobility to marry Louis XVI (Cunningham), making her the Dauphine of France at just 14 years old. A story fit for the big and small screen, the tale of Marie Antoinette has been told many times over the years as the divisive noble would ultimately be known as the last queen of France before the system was brought down during the French Revolution. The second season is set to continue the story of the hated ruler, living more lavishly than ever while her people suffer through poverty. We’ll see more action in the follow-up as Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI quickly become the symbols of everything wrong with nobility as the clock ticks down to the bloody revolution.
Penning the second season will be Louise Ironside, Francesca Forristal, Charlotte Wolfe, and Andrew Bampfield with all but Ironside new to the show’s writers’ room. It’s been a big year for period dramas with Netflix dropping The Pale Blue Eye and Starz releasing their own version of the beloved tale of Dangerous Liaisons. While the latter was initially picked up for a second season ahead of its Season 1 premiere, the network would ultimately pull the plug on the project following a slew of negative reviews. Although they’re riding high from crushing viewership numbers on the UK’s BBC Two and iPlayer, with the premiere totaling 2.1 million views, those backing Marie Antoinette’s second season will want to be sure they deliver through a similar formula to keep their audience coming back for more.
While the cast list has yet to be announced, we can likely expect some familiar faces to return for the next season presumably including Marthe Keller (Marathon Man), Gaia Weiss (Vikings), James Purefoy (Rome), Jack Archer (Call the Midwife), Oscar Lesage (Dangerous Liaisons), Roxane Duran (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris), and Jasmine Backborow (Shadow and Bone).
Filming for Marie Antoinette Season 2 is set to begin this fall. Check out a trailer for the first season below.
