The Regime Trailer: Kate Winslet Goes Full Succession In HBO's New Series

Kate Winslet and HBO are an electric combination. The Academy Award-winning actor first hooked up with the company in 2011 when she starred in Todd Haynes' sensational adaptation of James M. Cain's "Mildred Pierce," then returned 10 years later to produce and star in Brad Ingelsby's "Mare of Easttown." Now she's back in the fold with what appears to be her most ambitious series yet.

"The Regime" (formerly titled "The Palace") is an original show created by "Succession" writer-producer Will Tracy. According to a press release issued during Warner Bros. Discovery's April 12 introduction of its new Max streaming service, the show "tells the story of one year within the walls of the palace of a modern European regime as it begins to unravel." If you're in the mood for another pitch-black comedy from the gang that brought you the pathetically conniving Roy clan, you are apparently in luck. Judging from the trailer, which also premiered today, this series is going to offer a scabrous, possibly surreal depiction of fascism's global rise in the twenty-first century.

Let's take a look!

First off, what a cast! Winslet is joined by such heavy-hitter thespians as Martha Plimpton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Guillaume Gallienne, Andrea Riseborough and Hugh Grant. Secondly, what a savagely bleak tone! It looks like Winslet will play a despot who consolidates power by jailing and/or executing any and all opposition to her rule. But Winslet's character is evidently no ice queen. We see her raging in the woods and sucking on an oxygen tank. She's scrambling to maintain her grasp on the throne, and justifies her actions by declaring them to be the will of her people.

We've seen this kind of political drama play out far too often in real life, but we've never seen it dramatized with the great Ms. Kate at the fore. Winslet is operating at the peak of her considerable powers at the moment, and, looking over her recent oeuvre, she has impeccable taste in projects. There is every reason to expect something special from her alliance with the "Succession" crew. Most striking to me is the trailer's glimpses of Winslet's character's bizarre lifestyle. I'm getting significant Yorgos Lanthimos vibes here, and those are very good vibes indeed.

The capable duo of Stephen Frears ("The Queen") and Jessica Hobbs ("The Crown") will handle directorial duties. The only bad news — we've got to wait until 2024 to see this sucker!