Nicolas Duvauchelle was initially cast as Henri II, as well as Jean Reno and Mathieu Amalric as undisclosed characters.
Was initially slated to start filming in Autumn 2020, which was delayed to early 2021 and finally pushed back to Autumn 2021, a year after production was first expected to begin.
Isabelle Adjani headlines as Diane Poitiers, mistress of the French king Henri II. Adjani had previously played the daughter of Henri II; Marguerite de Valois, Adjani having headlined Queen Margot (1994).
Bernard Verley, seen here as the Pope, also had a featured role as a cleric in an earlier Isabelle Adjani vehicle, Verley having played the Cardinal in Queen Margot (1994).