Fans of Netflix’s wildly popular The Crown can rejoice in the knowledge that discussions are in progress for an entire spin-off series to the delectable drama.
Variety claims the new series will be a prequel to the existing narrative (which is based around Queen Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne and the years following). Per its source, the prequel will start with Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, covering the reigns of four Kings, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, and George VI. The latter’s final years as king were covered in the first season of The Crown.
The new series will end where The Crown kicks off with the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Philip, five years before she came the Queen in 1947.
The creator of The Crown series, Peter Morgan is also on board to write the prequel. Variety claims it will run for five seasons.
The news is welcomed by long time fans of the show, which exploded in popularity when it was first released back in 2016. At the time, Claire Foy helmed the cast as a young Queen Elizabeth alongside Matt Smith as her husband, Prince Philip.
Since then, each season has covered off a defining period of Her Majesty’s life, with the latest season, season four, reaching the early 1990s where tabloids were single-handedly fuelled by Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ rocky marriage.
Given its time-spanning narrative, a new cast has signed on to play the older versions of each key person, with season five, due for release in November, revealing an all-new line-up of actors.
While the prequel is still in its infancy, it’s easy to imagine how production will play out this time around. Given the series will focus on different Kings, the intrigue this time will not be about which actor will replace their younger character’s counterpart, instead, it’ll be around who will play the four key rulers.
In the meantime, we have no doubt season five of The Crown will grip fans like its predecessors. Season four drew more than 30 million viewers alone as Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor took centre stage as Charles and Diana. Olivia Colman also earned the highest praise for her portrayal of The Queen—she took home an Emmy Award to cement the feat.
Season five will see Australian actor Elizabeth Debicki portray Princess Diana, while British screen legend Imelda Staunton will finish the series as the last Queen Elizabeth II.
