We’re always trying to track what historical costume movies and TV shows are coming up. Here’s a round-up of currently available trailers, sorted by American release date. As always, you can keep an eye on what’s forthcoming on our Upcoming Movies page!
The Little Hours: June 30
Okay so this may already have been released, but I don’t care, I’m SO EXCITED to see this comedic adaptation of a Boccacio story (warning, NSFW due to language!):
Will: July 10 on TNT
Shakespeare goes rock n’ roll. Check out our preview post.
Lady Macbeth: July 14
A woman is forced into marriage in mid-Victorian England, but she finds her escape…
Swallows and Amazons: July 14
A family story set in the 1930s, based on a classic book.
Dunkirk: July 21
The famous World War II battle.
The Black Prince: July 21
Queen Victoria and the last prince of Punjab:
Tulip Fever: August 25
An artist falls in love with a married woman in late 17th-century Amsterdam. Will this ACTUALLY be finally released??!! Check out our preview post.
Outlander: Season 3 comes in September to Starz
Scotland, time traveling between the 1960s and the 1740s.
Victoria and Abdul: September 22
Judi Dench as Queen Victoria, who befriends a young Indian man.
Versailles: Season 2 comes September 30 to Ovation
More Louis XIV, more hair!
Poldark: Season 3 comes October 1 to PBS
More Cornwall, more hair!
The Halcyon: October 2 on Ovation
Various interconnected characters living in a hotel in London during World War II.
Goodbye Christopher Robin: October 13
The story behind the Winnie the Pooh stories.
The Jade Pendant: October 24
“A tragic love story set against the lynching of 18 Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles, in 1871.”
Murder on the Orient Express: November 22
A new adaptation of the classic Poirot mystery, starring Kenneth Branagh (and his mustachios) in the title role.
The Greatest Showman: December 25
Hugh Jackman stars as P.T. Barnum in this adaptation of the stage musical.
Films/TV Shows With No Release Date
The Alienist on TNT
A serial killer in late 19th-century New York.
Britannia on Amazon
Boudicca and the Romans in ancient Britain. Check out our preview post.
Drawing Home
A 1920s debutante is drawn to an artist.
Jamestown
Colonial America and boobs. Check out our preview post.
Viceroy’s House
Hugh Bonneville as the last English viceroy of India.
The Young Karl Marx
A biopic, obviously!
Which of these films and TV shows do you plan to watch?
Okay. I’ll bite. Why does Branagh’s Poirot have a soul patch?
Oh, I am so angry about that facial hair. I know Poirot, and he is no Poirot.
And Dame Agatha would never have endorsed the walrus mustache. Totally out of sync with Poirot’s precise and prissy character.
My rule of thumb for several years has been to avoid all movies where Branagh directs himself. That image was all I needed to know that I was making the right decision in avoiding this one too.
Victoria and Abdul. Duh, I mean it has Judi Dench reprising her role as the elderly Widow of Windsor.
Also the Last Viceroy, Season 3 of Outlander, Tulip Fever, Season 4 of Poldark er maybe we should re-christen it ‘Horace and Caroline’?
The Alienist as I enjoyed the book. Hopefully, Matilda based upon Mathilde Kschessinkaya.
Yay! Horace.
I will probably see all of these, but words cannot express how much I’m torn between wanting to see The Alienist and afraid that it’ll get messed up.
And it kills me that the closest theater showing The Little Hours is a 6 hour drive away. Kills me. I am ded.
Alias Grace is also on its way!
ooo!
So they finally adapted “The Alienist”? Amazing, I remember how obsessed everyone was with that book so many years ago. It also looks very “Penny Dreadful”, and I like Fanning (she annoyed me as a child star). I’ll give it a try.
I’ve been wishing they could do “The Alienist” justice for a decade or more. I don’t have a lot of faith, but I’ll likely watch it anyway.
After David Suchet no one else needs to attempt Poirot.
Exactly. Even Christie’s grandson said Suchet totally nailed Poirot, including being willing to embrace Poirot’s innate unpleasantness.
So I have the dubious pleasure to say I watched the entirety of the first season of Jamestown! It was okay– the writing was not bad, but the costuming was very eh. There were a few stand-out outfits (worn by the blond character Jocelyn), but for the most part it was crappy and RenFaire-y. There were SO MANY unbuttoned doublets… even by the governor! And loose hair, even while doing farm work.I facepalmed a lot.
On the bright side, as a show, it’s relatively entertaining and there’s some interesting character work. The plot didn’t go exactly as I expected– they subverted a few expectations. All the women (SPOILERS) get over their initial quarrels and end up banding together at the end, which I liked. They get actual Native American actors to play the Native Americans, which I also appreciated (unlike certain other shows I won’t name… COUGH).
As for the other shows, Lady Macbeth looks great, as does the Alienist. Gigot sleeves, yay!
Britannia looks like a huge mess. Why the hell is everyone wearing pants? Is that queen/priestess/whatever wearing pleather leggings!? Seriously, guys, the Celts at this period were not big into pants-wearing. Is this some idea that only sissies wear tunics, and HARD MEN wear pants? Blech.
Jamestown was dreadful. The writer has no concept of “foreshadowing,” nor did he handle the rape aftermath well.
Some of these — including The Alienist — look amazing. (And The Last Viceroy… I hadn’t heard of it, but it looks sublime.)
“Will” and “Britannia” look AWFUL.
I am So. Irritated by the trailer for Swallows and Amazons. I love and have read allllll of those books, and the movie has been made so Edgy and Full of Intrigue. The whole point of the books is that there is excitement in the lives of regular (imaginative) children! The big conflict has to do with adults not believing the truthfulness of children, not Russian spies! And the mother is the book is totally unflappable and calm (and also Australian, but that’s a nitpick). Uggggh.
I actually quite like the Barnum musical, because it manages to be entertaining and upbeat without trying to make Barnum himself into a heroic figure. The trailer for Greatest Showman…not so much. Also, there is already a musical! Why is the La La Land team doing the music in this?? I’ll still see it when it comes out, but I’m having a hard time aligning the show that brought us the song “There is a Sucker Born Every Minute” with that schlock in the trailer.
My reaction as well. Barnum is an amazing musical—(Cy Coleman, FFS!); why write a new one? Quite frankly, I think Jackman could do well in the original musical, and it’s probably due for a revival these days.
Wow, a movie about Burning Man! (psst – that’s about Shakespeare. . .). Oh. Never mind.
Tulip Fever should get its own special section in those preview posts.
Lady Macbeth wears a gown in that Youtube still that is pretty obviously inspired by that smocked gown at the KCI.
Tulip Fever — seriously. I need to do some poking to see if I can figure out what’s the deal there!