Summary

• Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's final wife, navigates courtly intrigue and danger in the upcoming film, Firebrand.
• The historical thriller stars Jude Law as the tyrannical King Henry VIII, and he's unrecognizable as a balding, portly, angry man.
• Alicia Vikander takes on the role of Catherine Parr in Firebrand, which hits theaters June 14, 2024.

Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived. Catherine Parr (Alicia Vikander) was the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, and the wife who survived him. Firebrand tells the often-overlooked story of the woman who outlived the King of England (here played by Jude Law), managing to successfully navigate courtly intrigue in 16th-century England, and the ever-present dangers involved. Alicia Vikander plays the queen and wife for Henry's final four years of life, while Law disappears between the larger-than-life layers that made Henry so recognizable at the end of his days.

Based on the 2013 novel by Elizabeth Freemantle, entitled Queen's Gambit, the film focuses on the final years of the couple's short marriage. This was the time when Parr was under constant threat from the courtiers that surrounded her, and the ever-paranoid King whom she had little choice but to marry. The title was changed to Firebrand in order to avoid confusion with the successful Netflix series, The Queen's Gambit, which debuted in 2020 and starred Anya Taylor-Joy.

Having seen her predecessors all fall from grace at the whims of Henry and those whispering in his ears, Catherine (also sometimes spelled Katherine) understands the constant danger she is in. When Henry names her regent to rule in his place while he is overseas fighting in the ever-constant wars with continental powers, the courtiers around Catherine become convinced she is a firebrand who supports the Protestant cause, which they see as a threat to their power. Upon his return, they convince Harry to turn his growing fury and paranoia on those they see as radicals, including one of Catherine's childhood friends. When her friend becomes one of scores of religious radicals burned at the stake by the King, the wife must fight for her life.

A Threat to the Queen

In a rotten, blood-soaked island kingdom, there once was a queen by the name of Katherine Parr. She was the sixth wife of the vengeful King Henry VIII.

So begins the trailer for Firebrand, which promises a new and suspenseful look at the story people think they already know. Instead of taking the usual refined look back at royal history that so often graces screens in historical epics, Firebrand attempts to capture the true horror behind life in 16th-century England. The populous is at the whim of a rash and ruthless king, whose constantly changing moods threaten everyone around him. The film takes the tone of a psychological horror, addressing the people who inhabit this world and their constant fear in a new and dark light.

As with any other fictional retelling of a true story, Firebrand takes liberties with the story to create more suspense. Yet the film strives to capture the spirit of the period, and the dangers involved with spreading the heretical Protestant teachings that Henry made legal with his break from the Catholic Church, but still feared would cost him his power.

Firebrand premieres in theaters June 14, 2024, from Vertical.