We’re always trying to track what historical costume movies and TV shows are coming up. Here’s a round-up of currently available trailers, sorted by American release date. As always, you can keep an eye on what’s forthcoming on our Upcoming Movies page!
Hidden Figures: January 6
“A team of African-American women provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program’s first successful space missions.”
Taboo: January 10 on FX
My boyfriend Tom Hardy “as adventurer James Keziah Delaney, who builds his own shipping empire in the early 1800s.”
Live by Night: January 13
A story set in the Prohibition Era and centered around a group of individuals and their dealings in the world of organized crime. Directed by/starring Ben Affleck.
Silence: January 13
17th-century Jesuit priests travel to Japan as missionaries. Starring Liam Neeson, directed by Martin Scorcese, costumes by Sandy Powell.
Victoria: January 17 on PBS
“The early life of Queen Victoria, from her accession to the throne at the tender age of 18 through to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert.” Rufus Sewell plays Lord Marlborough. Check out our detailed preview post!
Frontier: January 20 on Netflix
The North American fur trade in the late 18th century, starring hottie Jason Momoa of Game of Thrones.
Mercy Street (season 2): January 22 on PBS
US Civil War 1860s hospital what-have-you. Let’s hope this is an improvement over the first season!
Z: The Beginning of Everything: January 27 on Amazon
Christina Ricci as Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, a Southern Belle who becomes the Jazz-Age iconic flapper. We reviewed the first episode and quite liked it!
Tulip Fever: February 24
“A 17th-century romance in which an artist falls for a married young woman while he’s commissioned to paint her portrait. The two invest in the risky tulip market in hopes to build a future together.” Starring Alicia Vikander. Check out our detailed trailer breakdown.
To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters: March 26 on PBS
Trystan is our resident Bronte fan, and I know she’s going to be all over this one!
Cézanne et moi: March 31
Two of French culture’s legends, the novelist Emile Zola and post-impressionist painter Paul Cezanne.
Home Fires (final season): April 2 on PBS
Sorry, we were unimpressed by the first season of this British-women-during-World War II series.
A Quiet Passion: April 14
Biopic of Emily Dickinson starring Cynthia Nixon and Jennifer Ehle (Trystan’s also super-excited about this).
The Lost City of Z: April 21
“In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned.”
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword: May 12
Feature film version of the classic Sir Lancelot story.
Dark Angel: May 21 on PBS
Downton Abbey‘s Joanne Froggatt stars as Victorian serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. I’d probably kill people too if I had to wear that bonnet.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: May 26
Yes, there’s another one coming. Yawn.
Wonder Woman: June 2
Set during World War I! We reviewed the first trailer, here’s the second:
Coming Sometime in 2016
Swallows and Amazons
Adaptation of a 1930s children’s book.
Two Women
Ralph Fiennes stars in this adaptation of a Russian stage play: “A headstrong young woman is married to land baron. Her feelings for her son’s tutor become a complex web of unrequited love.” This was released in September 2017 in the UK — hoping it makes it’s way to the US!
Which of these historical costume movies or TV shows are you most excited about? Let us know if you know of any trailers we missed in the comments!
I’ve just watched “To walk invisible” on BBC player and I think you will enjoy it. Since I discovered your website a few months ago, I look at historical dramas differently and this has added to my enjoyment.
Thank you for making me more aware of back and front lacing, hair pins and covered hair, men wearing boots indoors and metal grommets!
S
I can’t wait!!!!
Dark Angel warning – at least the bonnet covers her hair, that’s all I’m saying. . .
Uh oh!!
Love this synosis, thanks! I just set my DVR to record “Taboo” – looks good! I saw “Silence” when it premiered in NYC in December. Although the film is outstanding there’s not much to say in terms of 17th Century costumes IMO: three Jesuits in cassocks at the very beginning of the film, lots of very ragged clothing worn by Japanese peasants, some Japanese officials and their men, and some simple kimonos by the Jesuit prisoners.
Everything looks interesting. I can say from watching it on YouTube, Victoria is marvellous. Can’t wait for you to podcast the episodes. Rufus & Tom & David Oh my Yum.
But the other projects that I’m waiting with baited breath the most are : Silence, The Beginning of Everything, To Walk Invisible. A Quiet Passion, Cezanne et Moi, and Tulip Fever. Also Wonder Woman.
Taboo, Silence, To Walk Invisible, I’m intrigued by King Arthur, and hellya Wonder Woman!
Thanks for the roundup. I’ve been looking forward to Hidden Figures for months. :-) Now I know to add Frontier (cool that late 18th/early 19th American history is getting some love), To Walk Invisible, and Two Women, because I love Russian history and culture. To a learner’s eye, To Walk Invisible looked pretty good. I look forward to learning more from your reviews. :-)
Non-costume comment: Ralph Fiennes speaking Russian! WHOA. Like, I’m sure it’s not perfect native pronunciation, but it’s a hard language for English speakers and he’s really clearly worked hard and done well. Most actors really struggle with the accent, let alone the actual language (if you speak Russian, don’t watch The Double—the big plot twist is really undercut by the secret Russian spy not being able to speak his own language). Bravo to him.
And in addition to my literature geeking, can I say FINALLY Tulip Fever! I worry when films are shoved around & delayed so much, something’s gotta stink about them, but maybe bec. it’s just a weird historical period & odd story, they couldn’t figure out how to sell it. I just want to see the costumes bec. I love that period.
Ugh, move it forward about 20-30 years so the women’s waistlines are normal and I like the period! But I hate this early high waist thang. (But yes, I’m with you, I worry too when things take forever to come out!)
I’m not saying I want to wear it, but I love looking at it — kinda like 1830s, it’s wacky & fun & unusual. The preview pix & trailer from Tulip Fever look like they did the costumes pretty well, so I want see more :)
I’m still waiting for the U.S. release of Suite Francaise. There are tons of great actors starring in it, including Michelle Williams, Kristen Scott Thomas and Matthias Schoenaerts. It was released in Europe back in 2014 and I fear it will never be released here. I loved the book and I can only assume it was a stinker if they never bothered releasing it in the U.S.
I do too. I also am glad Tulip Fever has a release date. The story sounds like it will be one to hold my interest. Isn’t there a book on which this is based?
Tulip Fever was a book, it came out way back in 1999. The author is Deborah Moggach who also wrote The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Tom Stoppard wrote the script for the film so I’m optimistic.
Is Two Women an adaptation of Ivan Turgenev’s play A Month In The Country? I was watching the trailer and it seemed super familiar .
Why is it I suspect that most of those films were devised by men, written by men and produced by men? Women are only of interest if they are “freaks” ie serial killers. There are a few interesting titles, To Walk Invisible and the Emily Dickinson bio as well as Tulip Fever stand out. I am also hoping to see the Cezanne film. The film I am most looking forward to at the moment is A United Kingdom so much so that I am planning a trip to the cinema to see it.
A United Kingdom? What is that?
A British film directed by Amma Assante set in the 40s – 50s about the marriage of a Botswanian Prince to an English typist and the subsequent political fall out. A true story. IT stars Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo.
Biopic, I will put it on my looking forward list. Sounds interesting. I looked it up as well and found out the prince became Botswana’s first president. He brought slot to his country.
A lot not slot
You had me at “Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo,” both of whom I love. I just watched the TV adaptation of “Small Island” with Oyelowo, Naomie Harris and Ruth Wilson which is just great (and great 1940s costumes.)
Botswana is really interesting to me also, I loved the Precious Ramotswe series by Alexander McCall Smith.
A Quiet Passion, Lost City of Z, and Z: The Beginning of Everything are giving me tingles. I am coming out of a long period of not watching too much of anything filmed in the last 7 years or so, so thank you for giving me a primer,
I am looking forward to most of these, especially Tulip Fever. My one gripe about the listed films has to do with Wonder Woman. Her costume looks weird, compared to the one in the comics and couldn’t they find an American actress to play her?
I’ll be looking out for Swallows & Amazons! That book series was so important to my childhood – lots of great, independent and strong female characters in it, particularly the Amazons themselves and the Swallows’ mother, which is pretty impressive considering they were written at the time they take place – 1930s. These are great reads if you have either boys or girls.
Also very much looking forward to both Wonder Woman and Hidden Figures.
I’m intrigued by the subject matter of Frontier if it’s actually about the Hudson’s Bay Company but I’m not sold by the trailer that it will be what I’d like to see – the actual trading, the Voyageurs, the landscapes, etc. And unless I missed them I didn’t see a single indigenous person in the trailer.