We’re always trying to track what historical costume movies and TV shows are coming up. I always feel like we’ve Just Posted one of these, and then I go check and it’s been months. So, yay, we get some new stuff! As always, you can keep an eye on what’s forthcoming on our Upcoming Movies page! Note that all dates are for the U.S.
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (March 1 on Apple TV)
“Dick is a really famous robber, whose success is defined mostly by his charm, showmanship, and great hair.” Costumes by Richard Cooke.
Cabrini (March 8)
Biopic of Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who works with orphaned children in 19th-c. New York. Costumes by Alisha Silverstein.
Manhunt (March 15 on Apple TV)
Miniseries following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Costumes by Katie Irish.
Palm Royale (March 20 on Apple TV)
TV series about a woman breaking into Palm Beach high society of the 1960s. Costumes by Alix Friedberg. This looks SO good!
Renegade Nell (March 29 on Disney+)
Miniseries about a female bandit during the reign of Queen Anne of England. Costumes by Tom Pye. Another I’ll definitely be watching!
Wicked Little Letters (March 29)
A 1920s English seaside town bears witness to a dark, absurd scandal. Costumes by Charlotte Walter.
Mary & George (April 5 on Starz)
Miniseries about the Countess of Buckingham who molded her son to seduce King James I. Costumes by Annie Symons. We’re all SUPER excited!
Interview with the Vampire season 2 (May 12 on AMC)
Season 2 of the TV adaption of Anne Rice’s series heads into the 1930s and World War II. Costumes by Carol Cutshall.
Bridgerton season 3 (May 16 on Netflix)
Season 3 of the Regency romance focuses on Penelope Featherington & Colin Bridgerton. Costumes by ??
Not a trailer, but a sneak peek:
And a clip:
Firebrand (June 21)
A film about Queen Catherine Parr and Henry VIII’s marriage. Costumes by Michael O’Connor. We’ll be ALL over this!
No Release Date:
Seize Them!
A comedy set in Dark Age Britain. Costumes by Caroline Harris.
Which of these movies or TV series are you most excited about?
Also:
‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ (Showtime, end of March)
It was a great book.
‘We were the Lucky Ones’ – Hulu also end of March? And good book.
I’ve said this elsewhere but I would really love if historical comedies took their costuming a little more seriously than the slapdash pantomime costuming that many of them do. It seems to be the assumption that because it’s not a serious historical production, they don’t have to try that hard but I would lovelovelove a film that had detailed period costumes while also being slapstick and hilarious.
I second and third that. Speaking of which, did the Flickers ever cover “The Court Jester”? Probably not that accurate, being a mid-century Olde Englande affair, but colorful, and lots of fun (even the women get their laughs).
Honestly I agree, and I can see taking issue with any lazy production design, whatever the genre. Might not be a popular opinion but I don’t think comedies are exempt from making visual choices. It’s not interesting to see costumes just go with default mode.
This showed up in my youtube feed today – a new version of the Comte de Monte Cristo. Looks like a continuation of the trend for the French to reclaim the cinematic presentations of their literary classics!
Of the projects I’d never heard of before today, I’m the most excited about Wicked Little Letters (looks so fun and I love the cast), Palm Royale (looks so fun and love Kristen Wiig and Josh Lucas looks SO HOTTTT), and The Count of Monte Cristo (love the story and Pierre Niney).
Other thoughts: re The Count…I was interested to see a “Mission Impossible”-style mask in the trailer. A fatal flaw in the film iterations of this story is that they use the same actor to play Edmond Dantes and The Count when a central plot point is that he has AGED so much while in prison that he is UNRECOGNOZIBLE to everyone who knew him before. If filmmakers are going to continue use the same actor for both “roles,” then the masking option is interesting. I’m all for kooky historical comedies, but the trailers for Dick Turpin and Seize Them left me feeling cold. It felt like they were trying too hard; although it was fun to see Nick Frost and the actor who played Mr Poppy in Nativity in those trailers. The black and white dress worn my Mary Todd Lincoln in Manhunt looked like something I imagine Celia wearing in the novel The Night Circus. And finally, Interview with the Vampire season 2 trailer looks “meh.” In part, I just can’t get into the new actress for Claudia and also the actors who play Louis and Armand had NO chemistry in season 1 and it doesn’t look like they have any in season 2 either.
Regarding Manhunt: I’ve seen a few procedurals about the Lincoln assassination and the hunt for Booth and while serviceable, most weren’t all that interesting. The Day Lincoln Was Shot (1998), for example. I was curious if this new series includes the soldier who is believed responsible for shooting John Wilkes Booth: Boston Corbett. Sure enough, he’s in the credits and I think I spot him in the trailer. I wonder how much they’ll touch on his story, haha.
Boston Corbett was a former hatter, likely suffering from mercury poisoning, who became a religious zealot and castrated himself with a pair of scissors to avoid sinful thought. After joining the Union Army, he was dishonorably discharged for punching his commander Daniel Butterfield (of “Taps” fame). Corbett simply reenlisted in another regiment. Corbett was hailed as a hero for killing Booth, but became deeply paranoid and later in life held a local legislature hostage at gunpoint in a fit of paranoia.
Give me a Coen brothers about that batshit crazy son-of-a-bitch instead of another procedural, haha!