Lena Headey From ‘Game Of Thrones’ Moves On To Showtime For Pilot Of ‘Rita’
As the hype for HBO’s Game of Thrones finally dies down, fans are now turning to other movies and TV series starring their favorite Game of Thrones actors. The latest actor to pick up a new role is Lena Headey. She has signed on for the pilot episode of Showtime’s Rita.
In Game of Thrones Lena Headey played the queen that everyone loved to hate: Cersei Lannister. Known for her acid wit, her drinking habit and an incestuous relationship with her brother, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Cersei had a disastrous final season of Game of Thrones as she battled against Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) for the iron throne.
Now, Lena Headey has signed up to not only star in the title role of Showtime’s pilot for Rita, but she will executive produce it as well, according to Entertainment Weekly.
In the hour-long pilot described as a dramedy, Headey will play a “headstrong, unconventional teacher and single mother who takes on every kind of authority – as well as her family – in a messy and unfiltered way.”
Jana Winograde, the president of entertainment at Showtime Networks Inc., also issued the following statement about Headey’s character of Rita.
“Rita is a deliciously subversive character who will make you laugh and cry as she continuously challenges the hypocrisy around her.”
Winograde also described Headey as a “force” whose “essence is ideal to take on this wonderfully dynamic lead role.”
Rita will be a U.S. adaptation of a Danish series of the same name, which starred Millie Dinesen in the title role. For those who want to check out the Danish version of Rita prior to seeing Headey’s version, all four seasons of the original series are currently streaming on Netflix.
Rita will also see Christian Torpe in an executive producer role alongside Headey. Torpe will also act as showrunner as well as write for Rita.
Previously, Bravo tried to get Rita up and running as a U.S. adaptation of the original Danish version back in 2013. At the time, Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad) was signed up for the lead role of Rita. However, this version never ended up going ahead.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, fellow Game of Thrones actor, Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), has recently signed up with Sky Original for a six-part U.K. series called Two Weeks to Live. In addition, Variety reports that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has also signed up for a pilot with FX, titled Gone Hollywood.
So, it appears that fans missing Game of Thrones will at least be able to fill the void with some new shows featuring their favorite actors from HBO’s epic fantasy series.
As yet, it is unclear when Showtime’s Rita will premiere.
