The Crown‘s reign is coming to an end.
Netflix has renewed the drama for a fifth and final season. Additionally, after previously being rumored, Imelda Staunton has been officially cast to replace Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II.
The news was announced on the official Twitter account for The Crown:
Imelda Staunton will play Queen Elizabeth II in the fifth and final season of The Crown. pic.twitter.com/hUOob58A9p
— The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) January 31, 2020
The Crown was originally planned to run for six seasons. Series creator Peter Morgan explained why it will now end with season 5:
“At the outset I had imagined The Crown running for six seasons but now that we have begun work on the stories for season five it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop. I’m grateful to Netflix and Sony for supporting me in this decision.”
Morgan added:
“I’m absolutely thrilled to confirm Imelda Staunton as Her Majesty the The Queen for the fifth and final season, taking The Crown into the 21st century. Imelda is an astonishing talent and will be a fantastic successor to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.”
With The Crown ending a whole season sooner, the question is now when in history the series will close. Season 4 will introduce Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) and Princess Diana (Emma Corrin), but that only takes us to the 1990s. That leaves roughly 30 years for Season 5 to cover. The odds are that the final season will touch on the marriages of Prince William and Kate, and Prince Harry and Megan. Perhaps a sprinkle of Brexit.
I’ve found The Crown to be highly enjoyable over the first two seasons. I’ve yet to see the recently released season 3, but I’m sure the quality remained. I’m excited to see the series wrap up and Umbridge become Queen.
Are you a fan of The Crown? Are you sad we’re getting one less season than promised?
