The My Lady Jane trailer is out. Not only does the trailer make it clear that this is definitely alternate historical fiction; it also makes it clear that there are substantial changes to the book storyline.
A lot of fans were excited to hear that the My Lady Jane books were being adapted into a series. Of course, there are changes here and there to storylines. Some of them are necessary due to time constraints or graphic constraints in filming.
What fans aren’t happy about is the major change to Lady Jane’s character. That’s not something that should change, especially when her character and the way she fights are reasons so many people love the books.
What happened to the frying pan in My Lady Jane?
As soon as the trailer dropped, fans took to the YouTube comments to talk about the adaptation. One of the big things missing is the frying pan that Lady Jane Grey uses. Instead, the show has included her fighting with a dagger, which has it’s own comedic moment in the trailer.
Fans are also quick to point out that Jane is a little shy in the books. She is smart and cunning, but shy. That’s not something that seems to be the case in the TV series.
Is this because the show had to make a small change? Is it a case of writers disregarding the source material? Or is it a case of pushing an agenda? We seem to have to make lead female characters stand out as physically strong as well as mentally capable. Wouldn’t it have been better to keep the Jane known in the books, though?
It at least reminds us that it is alternate history
The series is very quick to remind us that the series is alternate history. For one, King Edward VI is Black! That would certainly not have been the case for real history considering who his parents were. He is also older than the 15-year-old boy that he would be at the time. King Edward VI was a sickly king, dying of consumption as a teenager. He looks more like a young adult in the series.
What the trailer doesn’t show is that there are some fantasy elements to the story. The books include people who are able to shapeshift. I didn’t see any of that in the trailer, but does that mean this part of the story is skipped over or just that it’s supposed to be a surprise?
My Lady Jane arrives on Prime Video in June.