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Season One of Netflix’s critically-acclaimed historical drama, The Crown, stormed through last winter’s Golden Globes (winning Best Drama and Best Actress in a Drama) and has a real shot at winning the streaming service’s first Emmy for Best Drama. The opulent show pulled back the curtain on the private lives of Britain’s royal family and made the stoic figure of Queen Elizabeth II seem more human than ever before.
So what comes next? How will Elizabeth deal with wavering leadership and threats abroad? More importantly, how will she deal with the drama percolating between her and both her sister and husband? When does The Crown Season 2 come out? Will there be The Crown Season 3? And will the original cast be back? Here’s everything you need to know about the future of The Crown.
When Does Season Two of The Crown Premiere?
The Crown Season 2 will premiere on December 8, 2017. Golden Globe winner Claire Foy will return to play Queen Elizabeth II as she faces the turbulence of the 1960s. The word is Season 2 will focus on the drama over the Suez Canal and Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s fall from grace. We’ll also see the internal drama brewing in Elizabeth and Philip’s marriage, Princess Anne’s scandalous romance with Tony Armstrong-Jones, and a visit from the charismatic U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his First Lady Jackie.
Who Is In The Crown Season 2 Cast?
As of right now, most of the main cast from Season 1 will return. That means stars Claire Foy, Matt Smith, and Vanessa Kirby are each reprising their roles. The jury’s still out, though, when it comes to supporting characters like John Lithgow’s Winston Churchill or Alex Jenning’s Duke of Windsor. Meaning, they could crop up, but we don’t really have confirmation yet.
However, there are four big new faces to look out for. Downton Abbey alum Matthew Goode will play Princess Margaret’s paramour, Tony Armstrong-Jones, and Game of Thrones’s very own Qyburn, Anton Lesser, will be Harold Macmillan. Dexter star Michael C. Hall will play JFK and actress Jodi Balfour will be the young First Lady.
Will There Be A Season 3 Of The Crown? What Will The Crown Season 3 Be About?
The Crown Season 3 hasn’t been officially announced yet, but the show’s creator Peter Morgan initially pitched the show as a six-season-long sweeping look at Queen Elizabeth’s monarchy, with each season more or less encapsulating a decade. So Season 3 would look at the Royal Family in the 1970s, which means the focus of the drama would now include that of Elizabeth and Philip’s children. Producer Suzanne Mackie explained at a press event this past spring that The Crown Seasons 3 & 4 are currently being “mapped out” and that Season 3 would indeed introduce Prince Charles’s relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. Yes, that means that a certain Diana Spencer will be introduced towards the end of Season 3. Digital Spy reported that Season Three “is apparently going to include Princess Margaret’s five-year affair with baronet and gardening expert Roddy Llewellyn, who was 17 years younger than Margaret.” Yowza. Get it, Margaret.
So, no official confirmation from Netflix on The Crown Season 3, but the fact that it’s in pre-production suggests that we’ll get an announcement soon, or at least, shortly after Season 2 premieres.
Will The Cast Return For The Crown Season 3?
Ah, so here’s the rub. Part of Peter Morgan’s grand plan includes re-casting all of the main roles every two seasons. The idea is that even though Claire Foy, Matt Smith, and Vanessa Kirby have done excellent work as the younger versions of Elizabeth, Philip, and Margaret, it would be unrealistic to cast them as the middle-aged and older versions of the royals. Additionally, since the plan is to shift the focus to younger royals, like Charles and Anne (and eventually Diana and William and Harry and even Kate Middleton), it marks the generational divide.
