Netflix introduces its sumptuous new period piece with The Empress trailer

“After the wedding, the young empress not only has to find herself in a world that is strange to her, but also has to assert herself against Sophie (Melika Foroutan), her mother-in-law, who before had been the most powerful woman at court. Furthermore, Franz’s unpredictable brother Maxi (Johannes Nussbaum), who, as the second born, has always stood in the shadow of his powerful brother, turns Sisi’s emotional world upside down,” reads the synopsis from Netflix. “While enemy troops are forming up at the borders of the Habsburg empire, a new revolution lies in the air in Vienna. Elisabeth has to find out who she can trust and what it costs to become the empress and figure of hope for an entire nation.”

Much like another period piece contemporary, Elle Fanning’s Catherine the Great, Empress Elisabeth doesn’t like the rules and restrictions of her position and wants to lead in her own way. The trailer depicts a Princess Diana-esque figure who defies her new family to reach out to her suffering subjects directly. But Elisabeth’s rebellious nature proves to be a challenge to the young married couple: “I love only you,” she insists to Franz, who forebodingly returns, “Why, then, is that not enough?”

The Empress, from showrunner Katharina Eyssen, also stars Almila Bagriacik, Wiebke Puls, Elisa Schlott, and Jördis Triebel.