The film, a captivating tale set to hit theaters on June 14, stars Jude Law and Alicia Vikander in the roles of the illustrious King Henry VIII and his remarkable sixth wife, Katherine Parr. Karim Aïnouz's trailer for "Firebrand" depicts the tumultuous and fascinating journey of Katherine's quest for survival in her marriage to the king, following the untimely fates of his first five wives—divorced, beheaded, deceased, divorced, and once again beheaded.
As the trailer's narrator muses, "Katherine's fate was destined to reshape the kingdom forever." When Henry entrusted Katherine with the role of Regent, effectively making her the nation's ruler during his absence as he embarked on overseas battles, he unwittingly set her on a perilous path. Henry's courtiers, suspecting Katherine's sympathy for the radical Protestant beliefs that had taken hold in the kingdom and threatened their own power, schemed against her and cast doubts on her fidelity to the increasingly volatile and paranoid monarch.
Upon the king's return, his courtiers cunningly manipulated him to unleash his fury upon Katherine's childhood friend, Anne Askew, who unfortunately fell victim to Henry's court's many treason convictions and was burned at the stake. Horrified and grieving in private, Katherine found herself under an ever-tightening web of scrutiny and suspicion. Aware that even the slightest whisper of scandal could spell her downfall, Katherine mustered her courage and unleashed her own intricate scheme to fight for her survival.
Katherine and Henry's union lasted from 1543 until the king's demise in 1547. Having been married twice before her union with the king, Katherine went on to marry for the fourth and final time after his passing, but sadly passed away in childbirth at the age of 36 in 1548. "Firebrand" premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last May and is now poised to ignite cinemas worldwide on June 14. The film, penned by Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth, is based on Elizabeth Fremantle's 2013 novel, "Queen's Gambit."
