‘Game of Thrones’ Star Lena Headey to Lead ‘Rita’ Showtime Pilot

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Just over a week after her “Game of Thrones” brother-lover Nikolaj Coster-Waldau joined a pilot at FX, Lena Headey has been a cast in a pilot of her own.

The actress, who was most recently seen under a pile of rubble in the final episode of the HBO mega hit, will play the title character in “Rita,” an hour-long dramedy which has received a pilot production order at Showtime.

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Headey’s character in the new project is described as a headstrong, unconventional teacher and single mother who takes on every kind of authority – as well as her family – in a messy and unfiltered way.

The pilot is being written and executive produced by Christian Torpe and is based on his original Danish series. Headey is also on board as an executive producer.

“Rita is a deliciously subversive character who will make you laugh and cry as she continuously challenges the hypocrisy around her,” said Jana Winograde, president of entertainment at Showtime. “It goes without saying that Lena Headey is a force, whose essence is ideal to take on this wonderfully dynamic lead role.”

The prospective series hails from Showtime and Platform One Media, which is headed by Katie O’Connell Marsh and has Elisa Ellis exec producing on the pilot.

Yesterday, it was announced that Headey was joining the stellar voice cast for the Netflix animated series “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” alongside fellow “Game of Thrones” stars Nathalie Emmanuel and Natalie Dormer, both of whose characters were brutally murdered by Headey’s Cersei on the show.

Headey’s most recent film role was in the Stephen Merchant wrestling movie “Fighting with My Family,” opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Nick Frost, and Vince Vaughn. Her previous TV credits include the title role in the 2008 Fox show “The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” as well as “The Gathering Storm” on HBO, “Band of Gold” on ITV, and “The Long Firm” on the BBC.

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