The Crown: Imelda Staunton to Play Queen Elizabeth in Season 5 (Report)
Olivia Colman just assumed the throne on The Crown — but Netflix is already lining up her replacement.
Oscar nominee and Harry Potter veteran Imelda Staunton has signed on to play Queen Elizabeth II in Seasons 5 and 6 of the royal drama, according to a report in The Daily Mail. Colman will still play the queen in the upcoming Season 4, with Staunton taking over the following season, which is expected to debut in 2021. Colman herself took over the role from Claire Foy, who played the UK monarch in The Crown‘s first two seasons.
When reached for comment by TVLine, Netflix declined to confirm the news in a statement: “We are currently filming Season 4 of The Crown but have not commissioned any further seasons as yet, therefore any news on casting remains pure speculation.”
A veteran of stage and screen, Staunton played Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for 2004’s Vera Drake. She recently played Lady Maud Bagshaw in the Downton Abbey movie, released in September. (Fun fact: She’s married to Downton star Jim Carter in real life.)
The Crown returned for Season 3 this past Sunday, and has already added a number of fresh faces to the Season 4 cast. Gillian Anderson will portray UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, with newcomer Emma Corrin playing a young Diana Spencer.
Would Staunton make a good Queen Elizabeth? Drop your thoughts on the casting in a comment below, The Crown fans.
Quite frankly, the character of Dolores Umbridge shocked me so much when i was a child that even now im 24 whenever i see Imelda in any sory of movie i start to shake a bit. Not sure I’m gonna be able to follow 2 full season of a show with her as a leading
well she’s definitely not going to look like Umbridge in the crown.
I honestly don’t know if I can watch Dolores Umbridge as the Queen. I know, I know… she’s an actress and *should* be able to play other parts. I’m just saying that I’m going to have a very hard time seeing her as anything other than an evil b!t$* who tortured all those poor Hogwarts students.
She only played Umbridge in two Harry Potter movies.
Can’t stand her, plus she’s nothing like QE II so I hope they change their minds
You say she’s nothing like the Queen like that’s a bad thing
She looks a lot more like the Queen than Colman. I bet that she will also be fabulous in the role. I’m feeling old with these comments that she terrified people in their *CHILDHOOD* when The Order Of The Phoenix film was released in 2007.
haha count me in the old club. I was an adult when the movie was released.
Let me say that I am very excited about this as a fan of hers and I think that she will do justice to the role!!!
And all those commenters about her role as Dolores Umbridge, please!!!!! She is MORE than that. See her work in Vera Drake, Sense and Sensibility and Find Your Feet among others to know how good an actress she is!!!!!!
The Daily Mail aka Daily Hate is the most untrustworthy tabloid in Britain. It’s like quoting the National Enquirer.
Even though I must admit in the photo here Staunton appears to look a bit like a grandmother version of Claire Foyle.
No, no, no, no, NO! It has to be Helen Mirren!
I love Imelda Staunton, but Helen Mirren won an Oscar and a Tony for her performances as Queen Elizabeth.
Helen M has enough projects on her plate…let other actresses show their talent too.
Maybe they can have Helen Mirren play herself when “The Crown” deals with the making of the movie “The Queen”.
Exactly. They aren’t going to hire someone who has already played the queen. Also, Mirren is too expensive.
She still terrifies me from HP…
Anyway she resembles the Queen more than the actress doing it now though.
HELEN MIRREN OR BUST
Amen!
what is going on here? isn’t The Daily Mail a tabloid? but you’re presenting it as fact even though Netflix is saying any casting is pure speculation since The Crown is not yet renewed past season 4 (I know it’s inevitable but still). I HATE the label fake news but…
I wonder who will eventually play Jeffrey Epstein.
In season 3 thecreal stars are Tobias Menzies and the actor who pkays Prince Charles. Vera Drake as tge next Queen will be excellent. Olivia Colnan is boring. I,m sure that tge Queen doesn,t spend her whole life glaring and frowning.
I think Emma Staunton would play a great Queen.
I think Imelda Staunton would play a great Queen. She a great actress and really gets into the characters she plays. I would love to see her play that role.
If s3 ended in 1977 so season 4 will end in somewhere in 80s. Season 5 and 6 will go from 80s to 2000’s/2010s. Wouldn’t she be too young to play Queen in that timeline? I was expecting someone much older with Gray hair and wrinkles to play Queen after Olivia. Because that’s why they wanted new cast so that they will have authentic actors without makeup and prosthetics. But Imelda is too young to play an 80 yr old Queen in s6
You know… she could always wear a grey/white haired wig and with the right makeup and acting she could make a believable 90 years old. but then again – how do we know the show would go all the way to our present day? the story could end in early 2000s’ when the queen was in her late 70s’.
This one noe in season 3 omg the most wonderful actress of our time…….. cant think of anyone else as the queen
I’m such a fan of Seasons 1-2 of the Crown. Season 3 is so depressing and Her Majesty has aged into a rather mean, dour middle aged woman. I hope they make The Queen more likable in season 4 or by season 5 she really will be Dolores Umbridge
Please leave Olivia as the queen..she looks like her and the queen is aging so beautiful in real life Olivia would only need a small amount of aging
so Imelda is a good bud of mine. She is a brilliant stage actress, with an extraordinary voice.
She played Gypsy in London and Steven Sondheim who wrote it, along with everyone who saw it, thought her performance was extraordinary. She received the CBE from Queen Elizabeth and the Olivier Award.
Imelda sang at the Queens 90th Birthday.
She is playing Hello Dolly in August in London.
It’s too bad you have no idea of the depth and breadth of her talent.
When we have a very limited exposure to the breadth of someone’s talent, and judge them based on our tiny circle of water, I think we cut ourselves off from so much.
So like it or not she is the next Queen. Not Helen. (Not fake news)
I hope you are able to let go of your hate, fears, biases and set views based on when you were children or maybe some as adults.
I hope you can let go of Helen Mirren, Olivia Coleman, Dolores Umbridge and make space with openness and curiosity for Imelda’s upcoming Queen Elizabeth. Then you can see with greater clarity what is infront of you and see how you feel about.
If not……well, best of luck anyway.