Anarchic Drama “Britannia” Lands on EPIX; Season One Debuts August 2 [VIDEO]

Premium network EPIX(R) today announced that Season One of the critically-acclaimed fantasy drama Britannia will debut on August 2.

Immediately after, EPIX will exclusively premiere Season Two for U.S. audiences on Sunday, October 4 at 9PM, and will be the exclusive U.S. home to Season Three, which is currently in production.

Produced by Vertigo Films in association with Neal Street Productions and Sky Studios, Britannia is a genre-bending, psychedelic tale of clashing faith systems, torn apart families, mystic men, powerful women, all told with humor, heart and violence.

Set in 43 A.D., the first season of this epic and visionary drama follows the Roman invasion of Britain when the country ruled by the powerful Druids and warrior queens. Britannia follows the reluctant rise to power of Kerra (Kelly Reilly), daughter of the King of Cantii (Ian McDiarmid), and her arch-rival Queen Atedia (Zoë Wanamaker), who are forced to put their differences aside when the Romans invade Britannia. Meanwhile, rogue Druid Divis (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), the only one who foresaw the Roman invasion, finds an unlikely ally in a 12-year-old Cantii girl, Cait (Eleanor Worthington-Cox), in his quest to defeat Rome. The Romans are led by General Aulus Plautius (David Morrissey), who is determined to succeed where Julius Caesar failed and conquer this mythical land at the far edge of the Roman Empire, Britannia.

“Jez Butterworth and the teams at Vertigo Films, Neal Street Productions, and Sky Studios have created a bold, epic series with a unique spin on the fantasy-adventure genre,” said Michael Wright, President, EPIX. “Britannia is truly cinematic television – a perfect addition to the EPIX lineup – and we’re thrilled to give this series its new home.”

“Audiences around the world love Britannia and now US fans will be able to watch the latest season exclusively on EPIX. The support for the show from Michael Wright and the EPIX team has been tremendous, and their commitment to all three seasons is great news for fans of the franchise,” said Jane Millichip, Chief Commercial Officer Sky Studios.

Britannia is a Sky Original for Sky in the UK, Italy and Germany. Britannia was created by Jez Butterworth (Spectre), Tom Butterworth (Tin Star) and James Richardson (Monsters). Season Two of Britannia is written by Jez, Tom and John-Henry Butterworth. Britannia is produced by Rupert Ryle-Hodges (Downton Abbey, The Hollow Crown) and executive produced by Vertigo Films’ James Richardson (Monsters), Sam Mendes (1917), Pippa Harris (Call the Midwife) and Nicolas Brown (Penny Dreadful) from Neal Street Productions (Penny Dreadful) and Jez and Tom Butterworth. Britannia Season Three was commissioned by Zai Bennett, Sky UK’s Managing Director of Content and Cameron Roach, Director of Drama for Sky Studios, with Gabriel Silver serving as executive producer for Sky Studios.

The show is distributed internationally by NBCUniversal Global Distribution and has sold to more than 175 territories worldwide.