Films about historical Kings and Queens are not unique as there are so many that exist. They usually showcase a monarch’s greatest achievements or their most tragic shortcomings, such as wars and crusades.
A new movie about Richard III is set to begin filming in 2021, featuring Alan Partridge star Steve Coogan.
Breaking from convention, rather than be a biopic about the Battle at Bosworth Field or the scandal surrounding the imprisonment of his nephews in the Tower of London, this film will revolve around the discovery of the King’s skeleton under a car park in Leicester.
Speaking to Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 breakfast show, Coogan revealed that he will be portraying the husband of Philippa Langley – the woman behind the King’s discovery.
After Langley pushed to have the car park excavated, they remarkably discovered the body on the first day, although the news was not publicly released until a month later.
Mrs Langley, alongside archaeologists from the University of Leicester, began excavating a city centre car park in mid-2012, with news of the discovery not reaching headlines until early 2013.
Richard was the last King in the House of Plantagenet when he died at the Battle of Bosworth Field in August 1485. He was succeeded by his opponent Henry Tudor, who would become King Henry VII.
When the body was identified as Richard III, the bones were re-interred at Leicester Cathedral in a televised memorial.
Mrs Langley was honoured with an MBE for her pioneering work in 2015.
Coogan would not reveal the other stars likely to appear in the film, or give away any details of the plot line. It is speculated that the project will be titled ‘The Lost King’.
The production is expected to begin filming next year.
