Blanchett Still Rules

According to The Guardian, Cate Blanchett has agreed to reprise her role as Queen Elizabeth in a sequel to the surprisingly successful Elizabeth. I say "surprisingly" because you never imagine lots of people going to see historical dramas - but not only did people see the thing, but it made enough money (I guess $64 million world-wide on a production budget of $25 million isn't too shabby) to merit a sequel. My only disappointment with said sequel is that it's not called Elizabeth II. Damn. Instead of totally confusing audiences with thoughts of a daughter-queen, wise producers selected the much more practical and vague Elizabeth:  The Golden Age. Blanchett will be joined on her return by director Shekhar Kapur, who also helmed Elizabeth.

The plot of Golden Age is expected to revolve around Elizabeth's turbulent relationship with the dashing adventurer/discoverer Sir Walter Raleigh (he's the gallant fellow who, according to legend, spread his cloak over a puddle so the queen didn't get her little booties dirty). In a bit of great news for us history nerds, Raleigh will be played by the equally dashing Clive Owen. This way, we can combine learning with gazing at Clive. Good work, casting people!