Joely Richardson, Robert Sheehan and Rufus Hound have been announced as the leads in the Rose Theatre’s most ambitious ever project.

Richardson is returning to the Rose to play Queen Margaret in Shakespeare’s Wars of the Roses – a savage tale of murder, lust and family betrayal – that opens on September 16.

She is no stranger to playing strong, historical female characters having played Queen Catherine Parr in The Tudors on BBC 1.

Sheehan, best known as immortal young upstart Nathan in Channel 4’s Misfits, will play the ruthlessly ambitious Richard III.

Comedian Rufus Hound will be taking on four characters playing Bedford and Bolingroke in Henry VI, Jack Cade in Edward IV and Rivers in Richard III.

They are joined by acclaimed Norwegian TV and stage actor Kare Conradi who plays Edward IV and Oliver Cotton who was at the Rose in Daytona last year.

Surrey Comet:

The Wars of the Roses is a trilogy of plays about one of the most tumultuous and intriguing periods of British history – the 15th century conflict between the House of York and the House of Lancaster and their fight for the throne of England.

Said to be the plays that influenced Game of Thrones writer George RR Martin, the adaptations of four of the Bard’s plays – Henry VI parts one, two and three and Richard III – are being staged as a trilogy for the first time since the Royal Shakespeare Company’s landmark performance in 1963.

The Rose’s executive producer Jerry Gunn says: “This adaptation is astonishing. It is definitely the most ambitious thing the Rose has ever taken on.

“In some scenes we will have 50 actors on stage and you just cannot do that in theatres that are not as epic as the Rose.”

The original adaptations are credited as turning the fortunes of the RSC around and remain one of their biggest critical successes.

The plays were adapted by John Barton who directed the original along with Sir Peter Hall, founder of the Rose.

This time, the plays will be directed by Trevor Nunn, the former artistic director of the RSC, who has been described as one of the greatest living directors of Shakespeare.

Gunn says: “The RSC adaptation was a seminal moment in the company’s history and in the history of British theatre.

“Trevor wants to direct every single Shakespeare play in his career and he’s desperate to direct this trilogy.

“There could be no one better, no one who understands how these plays should be directed more than Trevor.”

Wars of the Roses, Rose Theatre, High Street, Kingston; September 16 to October 30, various times; tickets from £10; more details at rosetheatre kingston.org.