“The Crown” on Netflix will end with its fifth season, when Imelda Staunton will play Queen Elizabeth.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to confirm Imelda Staunton as Her Majesty 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,” creator and showrunner Peter Morgan said in a statement.
“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.”
Season 4 of “The Crown,” which is currently in production, will cover the Princess Diana era. No premiere date has been set yet. Season 3 left off in 1977 at the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
“The first three seasons of ‘The Crown’ defined an era, and I know the upcoming fourth season will build further on that success,” said Netflix vice president of original content Cindy Holland. “It’s a stunning example of award-winning entertainment, created in the UK and loved by millions of fans around the world. I fully support Peter Morgan’s creative decision and am excited to see how he, Imelda Staunton and the cast and crew of Season 5, bring this landmark series to a fitting and spectacular end.”
Staunton, who most Americans will remember as Prof. Dolores Umbridge in the “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” film, weighed in on what it means to succeed previous Queens Olivia Colman and Claire Foy.
“I have loved watching ‘The Crown’ from the very start. 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. I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking ‘The Crown’ to its conclusion,” she said.