A Bridgerton Spinoff Is Coming! Here’s What We Know So Far
Updated: Feb. 14, 2023
The origin story of Queen Charlotte is about to enter the Bridgerton universe—and fans can hardly wait to dive into it.
Long live the Queen! Last May, Bridgerton fans were thrilled to hear that the show’s creator Shonda Rhimes was penning yet another spin-off, this time focused on Queen Charlotte. Rhimes says the idea for the spin-off actually came from Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos! “He called me and said, ‘Why aren’t we doing a show about Queen Charlotte? And will you write it?'” Rhimes said in an interview with Variety in 2022. Rhimes immediately agreed it was a fabulous idea. “I’m very obsessed with Queen Charlotte, and I always call her the Beyonce of the show,” she said. “I’m constantly saying out loud, ‘God, I love her wigs’ — somehow hoping that somebody will send me one of her wigs so that I can walk around wearing it.”
Of course, the series is historical fiction, based on the book series by Julia Quinn. But Queen Charlotte, who oversees the potential love matches during the annual courting season, was actually based on the real Queen Charlotte, who was married to the real-life King George III from 1761 until 1818. In the series, Charlotte is played by Guyanese-British actress and singer Golda Rosheuvel, and the real-life Charlotte was thought to also have African ancestry in her blood. Of course, Rhimes has always believed that any actor of any color can play the characters she’s penned, whether that’s 18th-century British royalty or a modern-day publicist for the president, like Kerry Washington in Scandal.
What can we expect to see in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story?
For one, we’ll have a new actress playing a young Queen Charlotte, as this will be all about her origin story and her life after she moved to England to marry King George III—which was initially against her will. The younger Charlotte will be played by India Amaerteifio, and, according to the Netflix website Tudum, most of the story will center on her navigating palace life as an outsider.
It will also note that with the arrival of Charlotte into palace life, society was able to accept non-white people into their court for the first time. King George will be played by Corey Mylchreest—and eventually, Charlotte and George will learn to love each other. Still, Charlotte will have plenty of foes hoping she doesn’t succeed as Queen Consort, including Princess Augusta, who will be played by Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark in Game of Thrones). Princess Augusta will be doing her best to make sure her own family controls the crown, but a younger Lady Danbury (played by Arseme Thomas), will help Charlotte find her path. We’ll also meet a young Lady Bridgerton, and the three women who play the older characters in the series will also reprise their roles.
When is Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story coming out?
We don’t yet have an exact release date for Queen Charlotte, but we do know that filming has wrapped and that the eight-episode limited series is set to arrive in “Spring of 2023″—May 4 has been a rumored release date. Last September, Netflix dropped a photo of India Amaerteifio as Charlotte, and also released the first trailer for the show, which shows Queen Charlotte attempting to escape from being forced to marry King George. Netflix has also announced a new trailer for Queen Charlotte will be released on Valentine’s Day.
Are more Bridgerton spinoffs on the way?
None have been announced yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they were already in the works. The original Bridgerton has already been renewed for four seasons, and there’s no indication there won’t be plenty more seasons down the road. “There are eight Bridgerton siblings, and as far as I’m concerned, there are eight ‘Bridgerton’ seasons. And maybe more,” Rhimes told Variety. And in 2022, Netflix executive Bela Bajaria told Variety, “Shonda and her team are thoughtfully building out the Bridgerton universe so they can keep delivering for the fans with the same quality and style they love. And by planning and prepping all the upcoming seasons now, we also hope to keep up a pace that will keep even the most insatiable viewers totally fulfilled.”
One person we know won’t get a spin-off? The Duke of Hastings, played by Rege-Jean Page in Bridgerton season 1. In the Variety interview, Rhimes explained, “He’s an enormous star now.” She added, “Rightfully, he said, ‘I signed up to do this one lovely story, this closed-ended storyline. I’m good! And I don’t blame him for that. I think that he was really smart to leave the perfection as the perfection.”
Sources:
- Variety: “Shonda Rhimes on Creating Hit TV at Netflix, ‘Inventing Anna’ and Whether Rege-Jean Page Will Ever Return to ‘Bridgerton'”
- Netflix Tudum: “Everything You Need to Know About ‘Queen Charlotte'”
- Netflix: “Raise a Glass to the Cast of ‘Queen Charlotte'”
Originally Published: February 14, 2023
