Helen Mirren to play 18th century Russian monarch in HBO miniseries Catherine the Great

Veteran actor Helen Mirren will play Russian monarch Catherine in a new HBO miniseries. Mirren will play the 18th century Russian monarch in the four-part project, titled Catherine the Great, and is set to start filming later this year, reported Variety.

The series will follow Catherine toward the end of her reign and her passionate affair with Grigory Potemkin. It will be written by Nigel Williams with Philip directing.

David M Thompson, Charlie Pattinson, Mirren and Martin will executive produce the show. “I am very excited by the possibility of embodying a woman from history who grabbed and then wielded great power,” Mirren said.