Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Tanya Reynolds both star in the upcoming “period dramedy”.
Netflix has released a bunch of first-look images for its upcoming “period dramedy” The Decameron – which features Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds and Derry Girls star Saoirse-Monica Jackson among its star-studded main cast.
The eight-part series is inspired by the 14th century short-story collection of the same name by Giovanni Boccaccio and according to the streamer aims to “examine the timely themes of class systems, power struggles, and survival in a time of pandemic”.
The cast for the show also includes Girls star Zosia Mamet, I Hate Suzie’s Leila Farzad, Arrested Development’s Tony Hale and former EastEnders regular Jessica Plummer.
There are, additionally, roles for Amar Chadha-Patel (Willow), Lou Gala (Julia), Karan Gill (I May Destroy You) and Douggie McMeekin (Harlots).
Most of those stars can be seen in the new first-look images, which tease the various “ridiculous and ill-fated” characters we can expect to meet in the show, including Mamet as “lady of the villa” Pampinea, and Jackson and Reynolds as servants Misia and Licisca.
Meanwhile, Hale plays Sirisco, the “affable steward of Villa Santa”, Farzad stars as Stratilia, the “stalwart backbone of Villa Santa”, and Plummer is a “spoiled oddball” named Filomena.
A fuller synopsis for the series provided by Netflix reads: “Set in 1348, the Black Death strikes hard in the city of Florence.
“A handful of nobles are invited to retreat with their servants to a grand villa in the Italian countryside and wait out the pestilence with a lavish holiday.
“But as social rules wear thin, what starts as a wine-soaked sex romp in the hills of Tuscany descends into an all out scramble for survival.”
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The series has been created by Kathleen Jordan, whose previous credits include Teenage Bounty Hunters and American Princess, while Michael Uppendahl (Fargo), Andrew DeYoung (555) and Anya Adams (Yellowjackets) all serve as directors.
A precise release date has not yet been revealed but we do know that it will arrive at some point in July 2024 – so there isn’t too long to wait!