“Dr. Who” alum Matt Smith and John Lithgow have officially been cast in the upcoming Netflix series “The Crown,” the streaming service announced Thursday.
Smith, who played the eleventh Doctor in the long-running British series, and Lithgow, famous for his roles in “Footloose” and “3rd Rock from the Sun,” join “Wolf Hall” star Claire Foy in the period drama set in post-WWII England.
“The Crown” will tell the inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who shaped Britain’s post-war destiny.
Foy will play Queen Elizabeth II, Smith will play Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, and Lithgow will play Sir Winston Churchill.
The series reunites writer Peter Morgan (“The Queen,” “Frost/Nixon”) with director Stephen Daldry (“Billy Elliot, The Hours”) and producer Andy Harries (“The Queen”). Stephen Daldry, Philip Martin and Julian Jarrold will direct episodes from scripts by Peter Morgan.
“The Crown” is produced by Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television. Peter Morgan, Stephen Daldry, Philip Martin, Andy Harries, Suzanne Mackie and Tanya Seghatchian will serve as executive producers along with Robert Fox and Matthew Byam Shaw. Andrew Eaton serves as producer.
All ten episodes of “The Crown” will premiere in all Netflix territories in 2016.