Jason Clarke will star opposite Helen Mirren in HBO’s upcoming limited series “Catherine the Great,” the network announced on Thursday.
The four-part historical drama is set against the politically tumultuous and sexually charged court of Russian empress Catherine the Great, who wielded supreme power throughout Russia for nearly half of the 18th century.
The “Chappaquiddick” star will play Grigory Potemkin, a Russian military commander who became lover, favored statesman and life-long friend to the strong-minded, independent, brilliantly intelligent and sexually liberated Russian empress played by Helen Mirren.
Co-produced by HBO and Sky, the drama is written by Nigel Williams and directed by Philip Martin, whose credits include “The Crown.” Mirren and Martin also serve as executive producers, alongside David M. Thompson of Origin Pictures and Charlie Pattinson of New Pictures.
“I am very excited by the possibility of embodying a woman from history who grabbed and then wielded great power,” Mirren said when the project was first announced. “She rewrote the rules of governance by a woman, and succeeded to the extent of having the word Great attached to her name, Catherine the Great.”
The miniseries is the third project from HBO and Sky’s $250 million co-production deal, which was announced last April.
Clarke is represented by WME, Robert Stein Management, Narrative PR and attorney Carlos Goodman.