Also starring on the series is British actor Nicholas Hoult, who has been cast as the Emperor.

• Aug 25, 2018

AceShowbiz - Elle Fanning is going head-to-head with her "Trumbo" co-star Helen Mirren by developing a rival TV drama about the young Catherine The Great.

The "Maleficent" star and her fellow producers are reportedly close to signing a deal with streaming service Hulu for a project titled "The Great", while Oscar winner Dame Helen will star in HBO/Sky's limited series "Catherine the Great".

Fanning's version of the royal's story will chronicle the rise of Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, aka Catherine II, and her relationship with her husband, the Emperor of Russia, who she replaced as the country's ruler and reigned for 34 years.

British actor Nicholas Hoult has been cast as the Emperor, according to Deadline.

Meanwhile, Mirren, whose family roots lie in Russia, is tackling the end of Catherine's reign in a rival cable miniseries.

The Oscar winner will star opposite Jason Clarke, who is set to portray Grigory Potemkin, the statesman and military expert who romanced the empress towards the end of her life.

It will be somewhat of a passion project for "The Queen" star - born Helen Lydia Mironoff, her father was a Russian immigrant to the U.K. from Smolensk Oblast. Mirren's grandfather, Colonel Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov, was a leader of the Imperial Russian Army and fought in the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. He later became a diplomat.

Mirren will also executive produce "Catherine the Great".

The celebrated Russian royal was the brains behind a coup to overthrow her husband six months into his reign and become his successor.