Lucy Boynton to Play Marie-Antoinette

From The Tatler:

Deadline reports that the Bohemian Rhapsody and The Politician actress will star opposite Kelvin Harrison Jr (of 12 Years a Slave, It Comes at Night and Waves), who will play the titular role in a new biopic, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Based on a pitch by screenwriter Stefani Robinson, known for her work on Donald Glover’s acclaimed comedy-drama series, Atlanta, the Searchlight project will be directed by Stephen Williams, who’s previously worked on the likes of Lost, Watchmen and Westworld.

The new film will chronicle the life of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Born in Baillif in Basse-Terre in 1745, in the then-French colony of Guadeloupe, Joseph was the son of a French plantation owner and former councilor at the parliament of Metz, who conceived a child with a 16-year-old Senegalese slave, Anne Nanon, who was forced to work as his wife’s maid. (Read more.)

 

From W:

Biopics are familiar territory for Boynton, who rose to prominence as Astrid Sloan in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series The Politician. She first broke out in film in 2018, opposite Rami Malek in the Best Picture-nominated Bohemian Rhapsody. (The actors have dated in real life ever since.) It’s unclear to what extent the relationship at the center of Chevalier de Saint-Georges is also romantic, but an affair is hardly needed to make things complicated. Born to an African mother who was enslaved and a French father who owned a plantation owner, de Saint-Georges was unofficially known as the “Black Mozart”—and few in late 18th-century French high society meant it in a good way at the time. (Meanwhile, U.S. president John Adams is said to have christened de Saint-Georges, who was also a colonel, “the most accomplished man in Europe.”)

De Saint-Georges managed to climb improbably high up the ladder, thanks in no small part to Antoinette’s attendance at a number of his concerts. Of course, he ended up all the way back at the bottom after a falling out with the queen and her court, as well as a dalliance with a French noblewoman.

You’ll have to do some digging to find out what happens next; the film may change things upon its release, date TBA, but for now de Saint-Georges’s real-life story remains relatively obscure. Not much is known about the film yet, either, but it seems likely the affair involves another Marie—the only other character confirmed so far, portrayed by Samara Weaving. Meanwhile, Boynton is already at work on another biopic, and this time she’s the musician. Faithfull, starring Boynton as the iconic British singer Marianne Faithfull, is also currently also in pre-production. (Read more.)

Share