Roadshow Attractions has released the first official trailer for Fireband, the upcoming British historical drama recounting the life of Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII.
Fireband stars Alicia Vikander as Katherine Parr and Jude Law as Henry VIII. Alongside them, the film also stars Eddie Marsan, Ruby Bentall, Bryony Hannah, Sam Riley, and Maia Jemmett.
In blood-soaked Tudor England, twice married, accomplished, and educated Katherine Parr (Vikander), reluctantly agrees to become the sixth wife of the tyrannical King Henry VIII (Law). Her consent to marry him carries great personal risk, given that her predecessors are either vanquished, beheaded, or dead. When Henry appoints her as Regent, the nation’s ruler during his absence when he departs to fight overseas, he lays a dangerous path for her. Henry’s courtiers, suspecting she’s sympathetic to radical Protestant beliefs that have taken root in the kingdom and are a threat to their power, scheme against her and cast doubts upon her fidelity to the increasingly ailing and paranoid King. Once Henry returns to England, his courtiers convince him to turn his fury on the nation’s radicals, including Katherine’s childhood friend Anne Askew, who becomes one of the scores of people convicted of treason and burned at the stake. Horrified and privately grieving, Katherine finds herself under ever-increasing scrutiny and suspicion. Knowing that even a whisper of scandal might lead to her downfall, Katherine must unleash her own scheme to fight for survival.
The film is directed by Karim Aïnouz, and originally had its premiere at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palm d’Or, the festival’s top prize. Fireband is set for release June, 2024.
