THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT
Anya Taylor-Joy Eyes Her Next Moves
Anya Taylor-Joy has been climbing the ranks since her breakout role in Robert Eggers’ cult horror film The Witch. In a bold move toward a leading TV role, Taylor-Joy will star in Netflix’s upcoming series, The Queen’s Gambit.
The title might seem familiar to chess players, which provides some keen insight into the 7-part drama. The Queen’s Gambit is a psychological thriller focused on chess. Yes, you read that correctly. Chess itself is a mental game, so it makes sense to take it from the board to real life. The series is an adaptation of the 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis.
In it, Taylor-Joy plays our protagonist, Beth Harmon, who is a chess prodigy. She finds herself reeled into the game’s male-dominated world and plays while battling drug and alcohol addiction. In the announcement — watch that above — we get that classic psychological horror feel. Taylor-Joy is perfect for this role, and her filmography proves it.
After The Witch, Taylor-Joy made a splash as the girl who got away from James McAvoy in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split. From there, she starred in PROVOKR favorite Peaky Blinders. She’s already had one hell of a year starring as the title character in Jane Austen’s adaptation. And more recently, alongside Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton in The New Mutants.
The Queen’s Gambit comes from screenwriter Scott Frank, who is best known for his Oscar-nominated script for the gritty, indie take on Wolverine in 2017’s Logan. The finesse of that script lends itself to the credibility of The Queen’s Gambit. Also starring is Harry Potter actor Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley). With more and more projects in her pipeline, Anya Taylor-Joy will blow you away in this miniseries. Watch with us, PROVOKRs.
