The third season of The CW’s historical drama “Reign” will see two courts and three queens in action with Mary and Francis ruling the French court and Elizabeth, and possibly Catherine, ruling the English court. Slated to premiere in October, Season 3 will set focus on the introduction of Queen Elizabeth’s court, her life, and her alliance with Catherine de Medici to destroy Mary.
Last season, Queen Catherine was thrown out of France because she ordered John, Francis’ son with Lola, and her own grandson kidnapped and pin it on Prince of Conde, Louis so Francis would order his execution. Mary however found out the truth and revealed this to Francis causing the king’s rage towards her mother and ordered Catherine out of the French court. Catherine promised vengeance on Mary.
And what better way to seek revenge than to find another person who hates your enemy as much as you do. In true Catherine fashion, she sought no less than Queen Elizabeth by coming to England with an offer the young queen certainly cannot refuse—to bring Mary, Queen of Scots down.
Production for the season is already underway and writers tease on their Twitter accounts that they are hard at work with every episode, hinting they’re already on episode 5. Actor Torrance Coombs who plays Bash recently tweeted that the cast will start filming on June 30. Season 3 will also focus on the English court having doubts of Elizabeth’s sovereignty over England as she is a woman and without a king—a parallel to Mary’s situation on ruling Scotland without a husband during the first season.
Following her stint during the series finale of Season 2, “Lost Girl” alum Rachel Skarsten will play Queen Elizabeth of England as series regular. SpoilerTV also confirmed 3 more characters of the historical drama joining Season 3 which include husband and wife, Robert and Amy Dudley. Robert is Elizabeth’s childhood friend and rumored lover while Amy is determined to protect her marriage no matter what.
King Francis’ younger brother, Charles IX of France, who appeared in Season 1 as a child, but was a no-show last season will reappear on Season 3 as a grown up. Charles is next in line to the crown of France but he has no interest in ruling it. The fact that the writers and producers are bringing Charles back implies that they’re still going to insert Francis’ death card and Nostradamus’ vision into the season’s plot.
Queen Elizabeth as the game changer
With all the drama Mary and Francis went through last season, Elizabeth’s presence is sure to change the pace of the show allowing the two to realize they are stronger and more powerful to rule France together than apart.
In an exclusive interview with Enstarz, actor Jonathan Keltz, who plays Leith dishes Elizabeth being onboard can allow the show to evolve and expand in new and greater directions. He added that Season 3 will bring a lot of exciting times ahead for the gang. Keltz’ character is rumored to have a romance with Princess Claude in the upcoming Season.