Will there be a Marie Antoinette season 3?

Marie Antoinette stands in a large room
(Image credit: BBC)

Marie Antoinette has been one of the most enjoyable period dramas of recent years.

Series 1 saw Marie (Emilia Schüle) and Louis (Louis Cunningham ) marry before becoming the King and Queen of France.

While the recent Marie Antoinette season 2 saw Marie suffering personal tragedy while also being wrongly accused of stealing a priceless necklace.

Will there be a Marie Antoinette season 3?

As yet, the makers have not confirmed a third season, although it's thought Marie Antoinette was originally envisaged as a three-series story.

So, where might the plot go? (spoilers ahead if you've not seen the end of season 2).

Louis looks solemnly to the side in Marie Antoinette

Louis just keeps making terrible decisions (Image credit: BBC)

The makers did appear to hedge their bets with the end of season 2. It gave an ending of sorts to the story with Marie and Louis's power collapsing.

However, there's plenty more true historical events for the show to put on screen. Series 2 ended at the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 with the Storming of the Bastille. Louis wasn’t executed until January 1793, while Marie was executed in October 1793.

If anything, season 3, if it happens, should be the most dramatic and the best as we see Marie and Louis desperately struggle for survival.

Among the events series 3 will likely depict is the royal family’s attempt to flee Paris. They reached the small town of Varennes, where they were stopped and arrested. The desperate act by Louis helped turn the tide of public opinion against him and ultimately led to his execution, as he was seen as an enemy of the revolution.

The Queen stands on a balcony in Marie Antoinette

Marie faced trial and execution (Image credit: BBC)

Season 3 would also surely explore Marie's role in the War of the First Coalition, a string of wars that saw other European countries try to take advantage of the chaos in France.

It's not hard to imagine season 3 ending with Marie's trial and execution. She was taken to the guillotine in the Place de la Révolution, the present Place de la Concorde, and executed aged 37 on October 16, 1793.

It will be a hugely emotional end for fans. The makers have portrayed both Marie and Louis in a largely positive light. Historians, though, continue to debate as to how much their fate was their own fault.

Cast

Orleans stares to the side in Marie Antoinette

Orléans played a crucial part in the downfall of the king and queen (Image credit: BBC)

We'd expect all the key cast to be back for series 3, including Jack Archer as Louis’s brother Provence, and Oscar Lesage as the dastardly Duke of Orléans. We should also get a string of new characters who play crucial parts in the French Revolution.

CATEGORIES

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. 

David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.

Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!

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