Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death at age 96, Netflix’s “The Crown” is preparing to return for Season 5 on November 9, with Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton taking over the role of the late royal for the upcoming season alongside Elizabeth Debicki as the ill-fated Princess Diana. The final two seasons of “The Crown” are set to span the 1990s to 2003. Fellow new cast members include Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, and Dominic West as Prince Charles. Staunton’s turn as Queen Elizabeth II will conclude the series for her two season arc. “As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan’s scripts,” Staunton said after joining the cast. “I am genuinely honored to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking ‘The Crown’ to its conclusion.”
As both of Staunton’s predecessors Foy and Colman won Emmy Awards for their respective turns as the Queen, Staunton is poised to lead an outstanding Season 5. Series creator Peter Morgan noted that “The Crown” is a “love letter” to Queen Elizabeth II, and production on the Netflix show paused following the Queen’s death September 8. “‘The Crown’ is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect,” Morgan said at the time. “I expect we will stop filming out of respect too.” Former “The Crown” stars Foy and Colman both paid their respects to the late Queen, with Foy saying she is “very honored to have been a teeny tiny, small part of her story.” Fellow alum Matt Smith additionally recently revealed that Prince Harry jokingly called him “granddad” for portraying the late ruler, and that the Queen would watch “The Crown” every Sunday on Netflix with a projector. Earlier this year, the Emmy-winning series also endured a hiccup during production earlier this year, with £150,000, or $201,000, worth of props taken, ranging from a replica of a Fabergé coach egg, jewelry, and antiques. “The Crown” Season 5 is set to premiere on Wednesday, November 9. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
