Samantha Morton is the poisonous Catherine de Medici in The Serpent Queen first look

Starz has never met a fierce historical woman they didn't love — and this time they're expanding outside of the United Kingdom.

EW can exclusively share the first look at The Serpent Queen starring Samantha Morton (Minority Report, The Walking Dead) as one of history's most notorious women, Catherine de Medici.

Known colloquially as the "Serpent Queen" for her scheming ways (she famously had a predilection for poison), Catherine de Medici was once one of the most powerful women in the world. After marrying into the 16th century French court as an orphaned teenager who is expected to bring a hefty dowry and produce many heirs, Catherine discovers her husband is already in love with another woman — then, her dowry remains unpaid and she learns she is unable to conceive.

But with intelligence and determination, she keeps her marriage alive, mastering the bloodsport of the monarchy and ruling France for 50 years.

In The Serpent Queen, Catherine tells her story through flashbacks, defending her actions and imparting lessons she's learned to her new servant, Rahima (Sennia Nanua). When her uncle Pope Clement (Charles Dance) brokers her marriage and a geopolitical alliance with France, but she learns on her wedding night that her husband is in love with Diane de Poitiers (Ludivine Sagnier), a stunningly beautiful lady-in-waiting who is twice the king-to-be's age. Catherine is thrust into a world where she must learn quickly who she can trust and seek to outmaneuver anyone who underestimates her.

Morton stars as Catherine alongside Charles Dance as Pope Clement, Liv Hill as the younger version of Catherine, Antonia Clarke as Mary Queen of Scots, and Ludivine Sagnier as Diane de Poitiers.

Check out the images below for your first glimpse of the lush historical series coming to Starz this fall. More details, including premiere date, are still to come.

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