Amazon is to retell the story of Prince Andrew’s ‘car crash’ interview in a new series starring Michael Sheen as the Duke of York and Ruth Wilson as journalist Emily Maitlis.
The three-part series A Very Royal Scandal will not be released until October – six months after rival streaming platform Netflix’s version, which was released on April 5.
Both dramas recreate one of the most astonishing interviews in television history when Prince Andrew spoke out about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and claimed he didn’t sweat.
Netflix’s Scoop is based on the book of the same name by Sam McAlister and follows the BBC producer, played by Billie Pipers, as she fights to arrange an interview with Prince Andrew, played by Rufus Sewell, op Buckingham Palace.
Gillian Anderson plays Emily Maitlis as she pointedly questions the Duke.
The upcoming series from Amazon MGM Studios stars Ruth Wilson as Emily Maitlis and Michael Sheen as Prince Andrew
Actor Michael Sheen pictured as Prince Andrew for A Very Royal Scandal
Michael Sheen will star as Prince Andrew in the Amazon version. In the photo: March 2024
Gillian Anderson plays Emily Maitlis in Netflix’s Scoop as she pointedly questions the Duke, played by Rufus Sewell
Ruth Wilson (left) plays Newsnight journalist Emily Maitlis in Amazon’s A Very Royal Scandal, while Gillian Anderson (right) takes on the same role in Netflix’s Scoop
But the upcoming series from Amazon MGM Studios will focus much more on Emily Maitlis – who serves as executive producer.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the series will “follow Emily Maitlis’ professional and personal journey as a Newsnight journalist, leading up to her critically acclaimed interview with Prince Andrew.”
When Scoop was released, Amazon bosses were reportedly in ‘crisis talks’ about their series, desperately trying to come up with ideas to promote it as they feared audiences might have lost interest in the story by October.
It’s now clear that A Very Royal Scandal could even take the stage to differentiate itself from Netflix’s version, as stars Michael Sheen and Ruth Wilson both have West End experience.
According to The sun, a source said: “The irony is that this is essentially a story about two successful, independent women working together to create a big story – one with global reach. They should be each other’s greatest champions.
‘But each has the feeling that his or her share is being undersold by the other, and there is enormous tension there.
“Obviously they now have two movies about the same subject on competing streamers, and both want their own movie to be a hit.”
Speaking about the rivalry between the Netflix and Amazon projects, Maitlis, 53, said Deadline: ‘I think that’s probably an exaggeration, an exaggeration. This [the Amazon series] will be a completely different beast. I’m sure there’s room for both.’
The upcoming series from Amazon MGM Studios will focus much more on Emily Maitlis, pictured here at The Variety Club Showbusiness Awards 2024
Both dramas recreate one of the most astonishing interviews in television history when Prince Andrew (pictured left with Emily Maitlis) spoke out about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and claimed he didn’t sweat. The infamous interview was remade by Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell in Netflix’s Scoop (right)
Ruth Wilson (pictured left) plays Emily Maitlis and Michael Sheen (pictured right) plays Prince Andrew in Amazon’s A Very Royal Scandal
The former BBC presenter added that she has left the team behind Scoop ‘to do their own thing because I think the last thing they want is me peeking around the edges.
“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 real events, but certain elements have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.”