Lena Headey, recognized for her work as Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones, is set to play the lead in a new series on Showtime called Rita. Rita is a dramedy that follows an unconventional teacher and headstrong single mother who clashes with figures of authority in a chaotic manner. Headey will also work as an executive producer on the show.
Showtime and Platform One Media are co-producing Rita. The President of Showtime, Jana Winograde, said, “Rita is a deliciously subversive character who will make you laugh and cry as she continuously challenges the hypocrisy around her… It goes without saying that Lena Headey is a force, whose essence is ideal to take on this wonderfully dynamic lead role.”
Rita is based off of the Danish show of the same name. The award-winning Danish show was created by Christian Torpe. Torpe was nominated for two Monte Carlo TV Festival awards for his work on RITA. Rita began in 2012 and ran for four seasons in Denmark on TV2. It was internationally streamed by Netflix, who co-produced seasons three and four. Torpe will write the pilot and serve as showrunner to the series. Elisa Ellis (of Platform One Media) will executive produce the pilot with Heady and Torpe.
Headey is an incredibly in-demand actress since her critically acclaimed days on Game of Thrones. Headey has been nominated for numerous Emmy awards for Best Supporting Actress during her time as Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones. Before seeing her in Rita, fans of the actress can see Headey’s latest film, Fighting with My Family directed by Stephen Merchant and co-starring Florence Pugh, Nick Frost, and Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson. Headey will also be a part of Netflix’s Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which will include all-stars such as Mark Hamill and Helena Bonham Carter. In Dark Crystal she will voice a resourceful navigator named Maudra Fara. Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will be available on Netflix August 30th.