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'Rita': Release date, plot, cast, trailer, news, and everything you need to know about the Lena Headey-starrer

Lena Headey, popular for her character Cersei Lannister in 'Game of Thrones,' is all set to star in a new hour-long dramedy 'Rita'. The actress is also the executive producer of the show

The saga of 'Game of Thrones' is over for television viewers. But if you're a Cersei Lannister fan, here's some good news for you. Lena Headey will now be playing the title role in the show, 'Rita.' An hour-long dramedy, which has received a pilot production order at Showtime, it is based on Christian Torpe's award-winning Danish series.

The Emmy nominee plays the role of an unconventional, determined teacher who takes on every kind of authority in the classroom. A single mother, she also faces problems with her family and wiggles her way through them in a messy and unfiltered way. The Danish series ran for four seasons in Denmark on TV2 in February 2012. Additionally, it also had a successful run on Netflix, where she was a co-producer on the third and fourth season. In the Danish version, actress Mille Denesen plays the titular role.

Release date

Still under production, the release date of the show is not known yet.

Plot

“Rita is a deliciously subversive character who will make you laugh and cry as she continuously challenges the hypocrisy around her,” Jana Winograde, president of entertainment, Showtime Networks, said. “It goes without saying that Lena Headey is a force, whose essence is ideal to take on this wonderfully dynamic lead role.”

Cast

Ever since the news of Headey playing the titular role came out, TV show buffs are excited to see the dramedy. The 45-year-old has received four Emmy nominations for 'best-supporting actress in a drama series' and a Golden Globe nomination. Most recently, the actress was seen in Stephen Merchant’s film 'Fighting with My Family' also starring Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, and Vince Vaughn. Recently, it was announced that Headey will lend her voice to a puppy character on the Netflix animated series, 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance', alongside fellow 'Game of Thrones' stars Nathalie Emmanuel and Natalie Dormer. No other cast has been announced yet.

Writer / Director

Christian Torpe

Christian Torpe, the creator of the original show, is writing the pilot for the network. The show is being co-produced by Showtime and Platform One Media, headed by Katie O’Connell Marsh. Headey is also the executive producer of the show along with Torpe and Elisa Ellis. 

Torpe is known for the horror series, 'The Mist,' and has twice been nominated for Monte Carlo TV Festival awards for his work on the original Rita. Moreover, his feature film 'Blackbird', starring Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet, directed by Roger Michel, is all set to be released this fall.