We haven’t even seen Season 4 of “The Crown” yet and the producers have already made big changes for Seasons 5 and 6.
I think it’s a mistake to announce the changes before Season 4 happens. It’s kind of disrespectful to the audience and the cast. It’s like saying, forget these people, wait til Season 5.
So the big news today is that Emma Corrin, who was hired to play Princess Diana for Season 4, won’t stay beyond her season. Elizabeth Debicki will take over for the final two seasons. She’s only five years older than Corrin, so I do wonder what caused the switch. Debicki, by the way, is 6 foot 3. Wow. Princess Diana was tall, 5 foot 10, but that is tall.
And what about Prince Charles? Seasons 3 and 4 are taken by John O’Connor, who’s turned out to be very popular. Will he stay? At 30, he’s a year older than Debicki, so my guess is yes. (Even Janet McTeer, who is quite tall, is only six foot one.)
Meanwhile, Oscar winner Olivia Colman will be replaced as Queen Elizabeth by Imelda Staunton for Seasons 5 and 6. And the other big news is that Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce will play the older Prince Phillip in the final two seasons, replacing the great Toby Menzies. And Lesley Manville will come in to replace Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, aging the character by 10 years.
But all of this is far down the road. We don’t even know when Season 4 begins. Season 5 will be in 2021-22, and Season 6 after that. By that time Prince Andrew may have taken the whole bloody lot down!
