'White Queen' followup series gets greenlit at Starz

BEVERLY HILLS , Calif., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Starz says it has greenlit The White Princess, an eight-episode followup to its miniseries The White Queen.

The adaptation of Philippa Gregory's 15th century England-set, best-selling work of historical fiction is currently in pre-production and expected to debut next year.

Emma Frost returns to serve as showrunner and executive producer, with Gregory serving as executive producer and Lachlan MacKinnon as producer.

"The White Queen was a phenomenal performer at Starz, averaging 4.8 million multiplatform viewers per episode in the United States," Carmi Zlotnik, managing director for Starz, said in a statement.

"There is a dearth of programming that tells women's stories and The White Queen was embraced with great success by audiences worldwide. The passionate fanbase for Philippa Gregory's historical novels are undeniable and we are confident The White Princess will become the next must-see fandom drama series."

The White Queen premiered on Starz in 2013 and starred Rebecca Ferguson, Max Irons, James Frain and Janet McTeer. The casting for The White Princess has not yet been announced.