Julie Andrews to Play Gossip Girl-Type Narrator in Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix Show

Spotted: a big-screen icon playing a sharp-tongued 19th-century gossip writer for Shonda Rhimes‘ upcoming Netflix series.

Julie Andrews will lend her voice to Rhimes’ hourlong drama based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling Bridgerton novels. She’ll take on the role of Lady Whistledown, an anonymous figure who delivers social commentary with biting insults that send Regency London’s high society into a frenzy. In other words, Andrews is pretty much playing Gossip Girl — in 1813.

Discover your new favorite show: Watch This Now!

The as-yet-untitled seriestakes place in the “sexy, lavish, and competitive world” of London’s elite, rife with dazzling ballrooms, repressive social constructs, and intense power struggles where “no one is truly ever on steady ground.” At the center of it all is the delightful Bridgerton family, comprised of eight tight-knit siblings who must use their wit and charm to navigate this hostile environment while searching for romance and adventure.

The series was created for Netflix by Chris Van Dusen, a screenwriter who worked on Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal. Rhimes will executive-produce alongside longtime collaborator Betsy Beers, whose credits include all of Shondaland’s primetime dramas for ABC.

The untitled project’s eight-episode first season heads to Netflix in 2020.

Julie AndrewsPhoto: Gary Gershoff, WireImage