WATCH: Catherine the Great trailer

Helen Mirren will be gracing our small screens in the HBO mini-series about the legendary Russian empress, Catherine the Great and the pivotal role she played in building the Russian empire and bringing it to prominence in the 18^th century.

Mirren will play the monarch herself and by the looks of the trailer, she will be captivating audiences once more with her powerful performance. She is a natural at playing royals, having won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen and also picking up an Emmy and Golden Globe for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I for HBO.

“When I was young, I dreamed of freedom, I dreamed of breaking chains,” she says imperiously in the trailer, “But as you get older, your choices narrow. So instead, I gave us an empire, and I knew exactly what I was doing.”

And one does not doubt her when she says that she holds absolute power in her hand. She goes on to declare that she will not share her throne with anyone.

According to a report by Deadline, the four-part miniseries will chronicle “the latter years of Catherine’s 34-year reign, as she builds Russia’s reputation as one of the great powers of Europe.” The four episodes were written by Nigel Williams (Elizabeth I) and were directed by Philip Martin (The Crown, Wallander.) Catherine the Great is a co-production of Sky Drama and HBO, two of their previous collaborations being Chernobyl and Gangs of London.

Jason Clarke plays Grigory Potemkin,with whom the queen shared a passionate affair. The series also stars Joseph Quinn, Gina McKee, Rory Kinnear, Richard Roxburgh, Kevin McNally, and Sam Palladio. The trailer shows that the series will be a sumptuous, cinematic affair and a real treat for fans of historical drama.

Don’t miss Catherine the Great when it debuts this fall on HBO.

Check out the trailer below: