Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II – Copyright. Left Bank Pictures
After another phenomenal season, it should come as no surprise that subscribers are already looking forward to The Crown season four. Fans will be delighted to learn that the fourth season of The Crown is already in production, and with that, nuggets of information about what we can expect are starting to appear. Below is everything we know so far on The Crown season four.
The Crown is a Netflix Original period-drama series based on the life and current reign of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Olivia Colman replaced Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth, and did a wonderful job, as did the other new actors and actresses that replaced the cast members of the first two seasons.
Has The Crown been renewed for a fourth season?
Official renewal status: Renewed (Last Updated 18/11/2019)
Netflix has an extremely limited amount of Originals that receive multiple orders of new seasons, The Crown is one of those few. We’ve known for a while now that a fourth season was going to happen, and suffice to say we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the royal family next.
When is the Netflix release date?
We finally have confirmation that the fourth season of The Crown will be coming to Netflix on November 15th, 2020!
NEWS: The Crown S4 arrives on 15 November. Gillian Anderson and Emma Corrin join Olivia Colman. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/2CEH8m2XuO
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) August 20, 2020
What to expect from the fourth season?
The third season covered a further thirteen years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign from 1964 to 1977. Events that took place were the death of Winston Churchill, the Aberfan disaster, the Investiture of Prince Charles, the Moon landing and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
The fourth season will likely showcase the following events:
- Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and her premiership
- The assassination of Louis Mountbatten
- The Troubles (IRA)
- Shots fired at Queen Elizabeth II at 1981 Trooping the Colour ceremony, further attempts on the Queen’s life, and the security breach of Buckingham Palace.
- Falklands War
- President Ronald Reagan’s administration
- Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding.
- The birth of Prince William and Prince Harry.
- Media Sensationalism
Great Britain went through many changes and historical events during this time.
For drama purposes we can expect to see the following:
- The relationship of Princes Charles and Lady Diana
- Lady Margaret’s personal life
- The relationship of Princess Ann and Mark Phillips
- Prince Phillipp’s reaction to the death of Louis Mountbatten
- Queen Elizabeth II’s and Margaret Thatcher’s working relationship.
Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher (left) and Margaret Thatcher (right)
Which cast members will be returning for season four?
The following cast members will be returning for the fourth season of The Crown:
| Role | Cast Member | Where Have I Seen/Heard The Before? |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Elizabeth II | Olivia Colman | The Favourite | Tyrannosaur | The Lobster |
| Prince Philip | Tobias Menzies | Casino Royale | Underworld: Blood Wars | Rome |
| Princess Margaret | Helena Bonham Carter | Sweeney Todd | Les Miserables | Fight Club |
| Queen Mother | Marion Bailey | Allied | Mr. Turner | Vera Drake |
| Earl of Snowdon | Ben Daniels | Rogue One | The Exorcist | Flesh, and Bone |
| Princess Ann | Erin Doherty | Les Miserables (2019) | Call the Midwife |
| Prince Charles | Josh O’Connor | God’s Own Country | Cinderalla | Florence Foster Jenkins |
| Camilla Shand | Emerald Fennell | Killing Eve | Careful How You Go | Promising Young Woman |
| Andrew Parker Bowles | Andrew Buchan | All the Money in the World | Broadchurch | Garrow’s Law |
Some cast members such as Erin Doherty and Josh O’Connor won’t be replaced by older actors but more likely to be aged through makeup and other various means.
New cast members for the fourth season
The following cast members have been confirmed to star in the fourth season of The Crown:
| Role | Cast Member | Where Have I Seen/Heard The Before? |
|---|---|---|
| Margaret Thatcher | Gillian Anderson | The X-Files | The Fall | Sex Education |
| Princess Diana | Emma Corrin | Pennyworth | Misbehaviour | Grantchester |
| Mark Phillips | Geoffrey Breton | Blue Murder | Masterpiece Classic | Narcopolis |
Many fans expected Emma Corrin to feature in the third season of The Crown as Princess Diana, but she will be debuting in the fourth season instead:
Emma Corrin on set as Princess Diana – Filming for Netflix’s The Crown (Splash News)
What’s the production status of The Crown season 4?
Official Production Status: Finished (Last Updated 20/08/2020)
After her well deserved Oscar win at the Academy Awards, Olivia Colman confirmed that shooting for the fourth season would begin in August 2019.
Each episode of The Crown takes a significant amount of time to film. Shooting for the first two seasons of The Crown took 22 days for each respective episode.
Emma Corin as Princess Diana – Filming for Netflix’s The Crown (Splash News)
How many episodes will the fourth season air?
It has already been confirmed that fourth season will air a further ten episodes.
Each episode will be approximately sixty minutes.
Who will play Queen Elizabeth in season five and six?
It has now been confirmed that actress Imelda Staunton will be taking over the role of Queen Elizabeth II from Olivia Colman for the fifth and sixth seasons of The Crown.
The Oscar-nominated actress is most well-known for her role as Professor Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter film franchise and Hefina in Pride.
The latest casting news we have for the fifth season of The Crown is the next actress set to portray Princess Margaret.
Lesley Manville will be the third, and final, actress to take on the role of Princess Margaret.
Lesley Manville, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in ‘Phantom Thread,’ is joining the final season of Netflix hit drama ‘The Crown’ to play Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II’s younger sister. Details: https://t.co/BfTakIgBvD
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 2, 2020
Will The Crown return for a fifth and sixth season?
Netflix has confirmed that The Crown will be returning for a fifth and sixth season. Previously, they only had the intention of producing season five and wraps things up there, but eventually, it was announced a sixth season is going to happen after all.
With news that Imelda Staunton has been cast to take on the role of Queen Elizabeth II,
The Crown is one of the most expensive Originals has to offer, costing at least £100 million for the first season. Assuming the cost increases season by season, The Crown will be one of the most expensive shows, period.
Are you looking forward to the fourth season of The Crown? Let us know in the comments below!
Netflix Synopsis: "Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatization tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign."
