The Crown kicked things up a notch in their fourth season, with new cast members Gillian Anderson and Emma Corrin breathing new life into the show. They played Margaret Thatcher and Diana Spencer, with the season winning critical praise, a whole bunch of awards, and record viewing figures. That success looks set to continue with season 5, which will bring the show into the 1990s.
This will include some very juicy political drama. The decade began with Margaret Thatcher being booted out of number 10 and replaced by John Major – generally regarded as a boring nerd. Netflix just announced he’ll be played by Elementary and Trainspotting star Jonny Lee Miller. He’s maybe too traditionally hunky for the role, but then the past four seasons have proved The Crown’s casting to be spot on so I’m not second-guessing them.
Miller will be just one member of an entirely refreshed cast. As of the fifth season Imelda Staunton is Queen Elizabeth, Lesley Manville takes over as Princess Margaret, Jonathan Pryce will play Prince Philip, and Elizabeth Debicki features as Princess Diana.
The season will cover 1990-1997: seeing the arrival of Tony Blair, Diana’s divorce from Charles, her tell-all BBC interview, and her tragic death (likely coming in the season finale). Though the events surrounding this have already been covered by Peter Morgan in 2006’s The Queen, there’s no way you can tell the story of the Royal Family in the 1990s without Diana’s death at the core, so either this or next season will zero in on it.
The shoot is just beginning, so expect some pictures of the new cast as the cameras start rolling around the UK. As such, The Crown should return in mid-2022 for its penultimate season.