Bridgerton, Sex Education, And Shrill Stars To Lead Historical Comedy, Seize Them!
The era of absurdist period-piece comedies is well upon us: if you're craving an opportunity to bask in the beauty of elaborate gowns and get transported back to the past while still maintaining some modern-day sensibilities, then you've got plenty of options. Shows like "The Great" and "Dickinson" may look the part of an overly-serious period drama, but are actually quirky, farcical comedies with very loose roots in historical fact that never fail to make the most of their mannered settings by rocking the boat in increasingly ridiculous ways. Soon enough, they'll be joined by a brand new addition — an upcoming feature film set in the dark ages, "Seize Them!"
Although the dark ages don't sound especially funny — maybe because of the war and death and disease — this particular historical comedy has a female-led cast guaranteed to make audiences laugh. "Seize Them!" stars Lolly Adefope ("Shrill," "Ghosts"), Nicola Coughlan ("Bridgerton," "Derry Girls") and Aimee Lou Wood ("Sex Education") — three actresses known for giving standout comedic performances in their respective shows. And what will their latest adventure entail? Per The Hollywood Reporter, these three will be in the midst of a dark ages revolution:
Set in Britain in the Dark Ages, "Seize Them!" sees Queen Dagan (Wood) as master of all she surveys, with an ego to match — until she's toppled by a revolution led by the charismatic Humble Joan (Coughlan). The Queen becomes a fugitive in her own land, a hefty bounty on her head. With the help of Shulmay (Adefope), a former servant with a lot of secrets – and Bobik (Frost), a sh**t-shoveler who wants more out of life – Queen Dagan must face every conceivable hardship and danger as she embarks on a voyage to win back her throne. She also has to face up to the very worst parts of herself. Can she become Queen again? And can she become a better person while she does it? And what if she has to choose?
Speaking of comedy veterans, "Seize Them!" also stars Nick Frost ("Hot Fuzz," "The World's End") and Jessica Hynes ("W1A," "Spaced").
What to expect from Seize Them!
"Seize Them!" comes from director Curtis Vowell ("Baby Done," "Fantail") and writer Andy Riley ("Veep," "Ron's Gone Wrong"). Producers on the project include Damian Jones ("Absolutely Fabulous The Movie," "The Lady in the Van") and Matthew James Wilkinson ("Yesterday") and executive producers Nigel Green, Jack Webb, Sophie Meyer, Paul Grindey, and Andy Riley. With the recent announcement of the film, Jones said the following:
"We are very excited to be working with the funniest young actresses around today in Aimee, Lolly and Nicola as well as the epic Nick Frost and Jess Hynes."
A statement from Frost hints at some very funny dialogue to come:
"The chance to shoot in Wales, the land of my fathers, with Aimee and Lolly saying the terrific words, out loud, that Andy Riley has written, was a sweet temptation I found hard to resist."
Never before has a show been so easy to envision. Coughlan as a charismatic revolutionary sounds like an inevitability — who wound't follow Clare Devlin to the ends of the Earth? Meanwhile, the odd-couple pairing of Wood as a Queen and Adefope as her former servant turned saving grace — helping but also judging her every move — is an absolute delight. The only downside here is that this is a movie rather than an entire multi-season series. But perhaps "Seize Them!" will follow in the footsteps of "The Favourite" and inspire a "The Great"-esque gem from its creative team.
"Seize Them!" has just begun principal photography and is set to shoot over six weeks in Kent and Wales.