Jodie Turner-Smith Is Playing Anne Boleyn in Channel 5's New Period Drama

Channel 5 will soon be premiering a new TV show following the journey of one of history's most underrated women, Anne Boleyn. Previous depictions of Henry VIII's second wife portray her as cruel, jealous, and otherwise unhinged, whereas the new show seeks to "shine a feminist light on the final months of Boleyn's life, re-imagining her struggle with Tudor England's patriarchal society, her desire to secure a future for her daughter, Elizabeth, and the brutal reality of her failure to provide Henry with a male heir," as revealed by Deadline.

To capture the newfound perspective, Queen & Slim actor Jodie Turner-Smith will be playing Anne Boleyn. Speaking to Deadline, she revealed, "Delving deeper into Anne Boleyn's immense strengths while examining her fatal weaknesses and vulnerabilities, Eve's scripts immediately captured my imagination." The project was first teased back in August at Edinburgh's TV Festival, where ViacomCBS's director of programs, Ben Frow, said that "this project re-frames her story as a propulsive psychological thriller, told from a new perspective, with top talent like Jodie Turner-Smith attached. It was simply too irresistible to say no to."

The show itself will be distributed by Sony Pictures Television, with a release date yet to be announced. Stay tuned for more news.