EXCLUSIVE
SEIZE THEM! Aimee Lou Wood and Nicola Coughlan go to war in this medieval satire…
The Middle Ages has always been fertile ground for dramatic epics, but rarely since Monty Python and the Holy Grail has its comedic potential been taken for a feature-length exploration. Seize Them! director Curtis Vowell tells Teasers he was well aware of this after attempting to describe his new Dark Ages Britain-set comedy to friends. ‘I was like, “It’s a medieval comedy,” and they were like, “Well, there’s only like two films that have ever been made, it’s not really a genre.”’
At least those inspirations are toptier, with the Pythons a key touchstone for Vowell. ‘If someone wants to reference Monty Python, that means we’ve absolutely done our job,’ he says, adding The Princess Bride and the recent revisionist approaches of Bridgerton and The Great as other influences on the courtly satire, scripted by Andy Riley (Glued, Veep). ‘I wasn’t a stickler for historical accuracy, and I just wanted to give us freedom to create our own world with our own rules.’
The approach of balancing archaic settings with contemporary humour was aided by casting two ‘fresh, amazing actors’. Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood leads the way as the petulant Queen Dagan, forced into exile by usurper Humble Joan, played by Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan. The battle between the two sets up the historical caper that sees Dagan go on the run.
She’s not alone though, joined by straight-edged palace aide Shulmay (Lolly Adefope) and opportunistic pooshoveller Bobik (Nick Frost). Together they set out on a journey to reclaim the kingdom. Add in support from James Acaster, Paul Kaye and Jessica Hynes, and the film becomes a who��
