Fosse/Verdon: Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams play historic Hollywood couple

The past always glitters so bright, doesn't it? We tell stories of heroes embedded in a collective nostalgia, as to celebrate their heritage or just revel wistfully in what once was. It's all the more exciting when these stories are revisited by stars who have shaped their own identities in a very specific, contemporary context.

Sam Rockwell has been going from strength to strength, from his Oscar win for his work on Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, to his nominated performance as George 'dubya' Bush in Vice earlier this year. In Fosse/Verdon, he plays Bob Fosse, the esteemed Hollywood dancer, choreographer and director. Fosse won eight Tony Awards during his career, shaping the landscape for musical dramas throughout the 1950s until the late 1980s. He also won the Oscar for Best Director for his work on Cabaret in 1972.

Fosse's legacy is intertwined with the influence of the firecracker actress and dancer, Gwen Verdon, who was his third wife. Verdon lived an incredibly invigorating career herself, with four Tony Awards to her name, and frequently worked with Fosse as a dancer, collaborator and muse over the years. It seems like there's nothing Michelle Williams can't do, and her musical chops were certainly proven to sparkle as she recently played Charity Barnum in The Greatest Showman.

The upcoming limited series of eight episodes will take an intimate look at the couple's romantic and professional partnership. 'Am I going to be unhappy when I get there?', Williams' Verdon asks in the first trailer, suggesting that heartbreak, as ever, could be just around the corner.

Edited like a slick, seductive stage show, the first glimpse emanates the kind of glamour and passion you'd expect from a tribute to one of the most memorable and influential partnerships in show business. All eyes will be on Rockwell and Williams when Fosse/Verdon airs on 9 April.