Amazon Prime drops trailer for A Very Royal Scandal which sees Michael Sheen transform into Prince Andrew while Ruth Wilson stars as journalist Emily Maitlis for ‘car crash’ interview
Amazon Prime released the trailer for upcoming drama A Very Royal Scandal on Wednesday, after revealing when the series will arrive on the streamer.
The dramatisation tells the story of the interview with Prince Andrew about the car crash, starring Michael Sheen as the Duke of York and Ruth Wilson as journalist Emily Maitlis.
The three-part series will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand on September 19.
It comes just five months after rival streaming platform Netflix’s version, which launched on April 5.
The trailer sees Wilson’s Maitlis pursuing the story that would make her a global name and destroy the prince’s reputation at a pivotal moment in British history.
Amazon Prime released the trailer for upcoming drama A Very Royal Scandal on Wednesday, after announcing when it would arrive on the streamer
Ruth Wilson (L) will play the role of journalist Emily Maitlis (R)
Before the interview, the Duke of York joked: “I’m going to throw this completely overboard.”
He adds in a voice-over: ‘I’ve been warned about you. You have a bit of a reputation.’
Maitlis replies rudely, sitting opposite him: ‘Well, for your sake I’ll try to behave.’
Then it moves on to the interview and its aftermath, with Maitlis saying: ‘I was just hoping to ask the right questions.’
The upcoming series from Amazon MGM Studios will focus much more on Emily Maitlis, who serves as an executive producer, while Netflix’s Scoop focused on Prince Andrew.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the series will “follow Emily Maitlis’ professional and personal journey as a journalist at Newsnight, culminating in her acclaimed interview with Prince Andrew.”
A press release continued: ‘A Very Royal Scandal follows Maitlis and Prince Andrew’s actions in the lead-up to the interview, the groundbreaking event itself and the many questions it raised that would change their lives forever.’
Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming series will focus much more on Emily Maitlis, who serves as an executive producer, while Netflix’s Scoop focused on Prince Andrew
The dramatisation aims to retell the story of Prince Andrew’s interview about the ‘car crash’, starring Michael Sheen (left) as the Duke of York: Prince Andrew is seen on the right
The trailer sees Wilson’s Maitlis pursuing the story that would make her a global household name and destroy the prince’s reputation at a pivotal moment in British history.
Then it moves on to the interview and its aftermath, with Maitlis saying: ‘I was just hoping to ask the right questions’
In the first episode, Prince Andrew tries to prove his innocence while finding himself in the middle of an international scandal, while Newsnight presenter Emily does everything she can to get an interview with him.
The second part deals with the interview, but the meeting takes several turns that Emily and the Newsnight team did not expect.
In the third episode, Prince Andrew faces the consequences for himself, his family and the royal business, while Emily ponders her reputation and the future of her career.
Starring alongside Sheen and Wilson are Joanna Scanlan as Amanda Thirsk, Alex Jennings as Sir Edward Young, Éanna Hardwicke as Stewart Maclean and Claire Rushbrook as Sarah Ferguson.
Speaking about the rivalry between Netflix and Amazon’s projects, Maitlis, 53, told Deadline: “I think that’s probably overblown, exaggerated. This [the Amazon series] will be a very different beast. I’m sure there’s room for both.
The former BBC presenter added that she left the team behind Scoop “to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeping around the corner.”
Netflix’s Scoop is based on the book of the same name by Sam McAlister and follows the BBC producer, played by Billie Piper, as she fights to get an interview with Prince Andrew, played by Rufus Sewell, at Buckingham Palace (Rufus pictured as Prince Andrew)
Gillian Anderson plays Emily Maitlis as she questions the Duke (pictured in Scoop) in a penetrating manner
‘It says it’s based on a fictional story, so I think it goes to different places and does different things [to the Amazon series].
Netflix published a disclaimer at the beginning of Scoop stating, “This film is based on true events, but certain elements have been changed for dramatic reasons.”
Netflix’s Scoop is based on the book of the same name by Sam McAlister and follows the BBC producer, played by Billie Piper, as she fights to get an interview with Prince Andrew, played by Rufus Sewell, at Buckingham Palace.
Gillian Anderson plays Emily Maitlis, who pointedly questions the Duke.