‘Mary Queen of Scots’ Trailer: Ronan v. Robbie: Dawn of Justice

It’s the battle of the century! The 16th century, that is. Mary Queen of Scots pits Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie against each other as two queens vying for power. Ronan is Mary Stuart, the widowed Queen of France who returns to Scotland to claim her rightful throne. But Scotland falls under the rule of Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth I (Robbie), who is in no hurry to relinquish any of her power. Who will win? (Historic spoiler alert: not Mary, sorry.) Watch the latest Mary Queen of Scots trailer below.

Mary Queen of Scots Trailer

Since there’s no way to sugarcoat history here, this latest Mary Queen of Scots trailer cuts to the chase, starting off with the reveal that Mary has been condemned to death by Elizabeth. From there, Mary asks herself: “How did it come to this?” The story of Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I’s rivalry has been covered in films before, but Mary Queen of Scots tries to contextualize the story not so much as the battle between two women, but rather as the tale of “female regents in a masculine world” who “must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence.”

“Everyone manipulated their relationship,” Margot Robbie told EW. “It’s complicated, it’s tragic, and it’s bizarre. The only other person in the world who could understand the position they were in was each other.” Director Josie Rourke added: “It’s not one against the other. It’s both of them against a particular environment that pitted them against each other.”

This looks promising. Ronan and Robbie are both fantastic performers, and the prospect of seeing them jockey for power is tempting (even though Robbie’s ghoulish makeup representing her character’s smallpox is a bit distracting). House of Cards creator Beau Willimon has penned the script, adapted from the biography My Heart Is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots by John Guy. Mary Queen of Scots will hit theaters November 2, 2018.

Mary, Queen of Scots explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart. Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I. Each young Queen beholds her “sister” in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence. Determined to rule as much more than a figurehead, Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth’s sovereignty. Betrayal, rebellion, and conspiracies within each court imperil both thrones – and change the course of history.