There was some back-and-forth for a while about whether The Crown would eventually bring their story up to the 1980s and 1990s. I’m sure a lot of people watch The Crown for the performances and history (some of the history is wildly inaccurate), but I also think that many viewers are probably looking forward to more recent royal history, namely Princess Diana. All of us of a certain age remember how Diana changed the institution and what a huge star she was. The Crown cast Emma Corrin in the fourth season, which will take place in the 1970s, as (one would assume) Prince Charles is mourning his mentor and father figure Lord Mountbatten and also mourning his chance to marry Camilla. But the cast will get a “reboot” for the fifth and sixth seasons and now they’ve cast the absolute perfect actress for Diana: Elizabeth Debicki.
Elizabeth Debicki is set to play Diana, Princess of Wales in the final seasons of “The Crown,” makers of the hit Netflix series announced on Sunday. The Australian actress will portray the late British royal in seasons five and six of the period drama, which is expected to cover the 1990s and early 2000s and pick up the Windsor story during one of its most turbulent periods.
“The Crown” will revisit the collapse of Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage as well as her death in a car crash in Paris in 1997.“Princess Diana’s spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many,” Debicki said in a statement posted on “The Crown”‘s official Twitter account. “It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one.”
The 29-year-old star will be taking over from newcomer Emma Corrin, who plays a younger Diana in the show’s fourth season, which is due to air this fall. It was announced last week that Oscar-nominated actor Jonathan Pryce will take over from Tobias Menzies to play Prince Philip in seasons five and six and Imelda Staunton will replace Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II when she bows out after the upcoming fourth season. At the same time, Helena Bonham Carter will pass the royal cigarette holder to Leslie Manville, who takes over as Princess Margaret.
First of all, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip is just weird casting, completely. Leslie Manville as Margaret though… PLEASE! That will be f–king epic. As for Elizabeth Debicki… people have been talking about her Diana vibes for years. She has that tall, long-limbed, coltish vibe of a young Diana. She LOOKS so much like Diana. Whenever Elizabeth wears her hair short, it’s even more striking. Basically, Elizabeth was always the dream-casting for Diana and it’s good that The Crown is giving us this.
Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Diana in the final two seasons of The Crown (Seasons 5 and 6). pic.twitter.com/Z3CjHuJ56B
— The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) August 16, 2020
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.
Perfect!
Wow yes, great pick. Not only does she look like Diana, she’s also a good actress so I’m sure she’ll embody her well.
I found this show a bit boring when I first tried watching it (and I love Matt Smith!) but I might try again to see the Diana years. Sounds interesting.
Fantastic casting, and she’s great in The Great Gatsby and The Night Manager.
And hilarious in Guardians of the Galaxy II
Oh my goodness I didn’t realise that was her!! She’s amazing in it.
So excited to see her play this part!
Loved Elizabeth in Man From UNCLE.
Can’t wait to see her in TENET.
This is a great casting choice.
She was FABULOUS in that movie. I couldn’t believe she was only early 20s when she did it too, she had so much presence. And her wardrobe was amazing.
She’s a great casting choice here.
She was also great in the Night Manager.
Yes, really good in The Night Manager where she, a relative newcomer and unknown, had to hold her own in scenes with Laurie, Hiddleston, Olivia Colman, and Tom Hollander, who chewed the entire set in every scene he was in.
And she’s a hoot as the arrogant Sovereign in Guardians of the Galaxy II.
I can see it.
YES. This was meant to be. She was fantastic in The Great Gatsby.
She was so good in Widows. As were all the women, that was a great movie. Great choice.
Yes! She’s been great in everything I’ve seen her in. Definitely the best part of Man From UNCLE.
Way better than kstew. Shame she wasn’t cast in the film instead.
Perfect. I bailed on the show in season 3 (got bored) but this might tempt me back.
I think the new Queen was really meh
Yeah, I like Olivia Colman and she’s a great actress, but I felt she was miscast, particularly coming after Claire Foy who was so perfect in the role.
Is it cheaper to recast other than use aging make up or some trickery?
I just thought the plot was more boring, lol. Like in the first two seasons there was a lot of drama – she becoming queen, everything with the coronation, Churchill, the marriage issues, Margaret and Townsend, etc.
They sort of bailed on the third season in terms of bringing the drama. The episode with Margaret in the US was good, and Aberfan was good (but sad), but they kind of just missed the mark with the rest of it. They made the Charles-Camilla storyline boring. they had Anne and completely missed huge story lines with her character (marriage, kidnapping). I wonder if they are treading more carefully because they are getting closer to modern times and they don’t to deal with any legal issues?
This is a GREAT casting choice. I’m really excited they decided to add the 6th season.
I think Jonathan Pryce is going to be amazing as Phillip. He doesn’t look like him as much as Smith and Menzies do, but I think he’s such a good actor its going to be awesome.
I’m excited!
PERFECT!
Now that there is Finding Freedom, the show has all that more accurate information why wont they go until present times,would love to see from William and Kates courtship and marriage to the Sussexes.I hope they extend it.
CB willed this into existence! She’s even taller than Di! Will be perfect for the post divorce fashion era
Perfect casting and she was great in Widows! She worked well against Viola Davis and really held her own.
She’s a good actress and has the height! Yay!!
She certainly looks the part, but I’m not sure why they feel the need to recast the role given she’s only a few years older than the other actress who will be playing Diana? Surely they could just age the other actress a bit with make-up, or they could have hired Debicki to play the role from the beginning. If it was a movie it would be quite normal for the same actor to play a character from late teens to mid thirties. I liked the first couple of seasons of the Crown but at this point it feels like the recasting is a bit of a gimmick. It makes it seem like the characters have aged overnight and I find it a bit jarring when they’re supposed to be telling a continuous story.
Such great casting!
I loved Tobias Menzies’ performance so much, it will be hard to top it. Lesley Manville is fantastic in River, and in a quirky comedy series I watched called Mum.
I said before why wasn’t she cast to play her. I’m glad she’s been cast now cos I just think she’s perfect for the role, but I don’t see why they need two actresses for Diana, when she only lived to 36? Surly they could have got someone who was in their twenties to who could have played her younger and older?
Elizabeth D ruled the screen in Night Manager. What presence! Perfect Diana.
Nice choice. I think she looks like a combination of Diana and Grace Kelly.
I didn’t see The Crown season 3 b/c I didn’t want to give more of my time to a series that fawns over and justifies the BRF, but I must say, this casting will probably lure me back in. I love Elizabeth Debecki as an actress, and I’m so glad that a very very good performer who can really play the whole emotional scale, and is just about as beautiful as Diana was, will be playing her. I’ll resume The Crown when Debecki shows up!
Season 3 was terrible and I love Coleman.
Seems like Diana has been casted perfectly for season 5&6.
So I’m back in.
I love her – she was amazing in The Night Manager. But she’s also fabulously tall — 6’3” — hope they scale up the rest of the cast and can find a nice tall Prince Charles or it could be really distracting.
They can do amazing things. I am sure they will be able to reflect whatever they need. Diana was tall, too.
Yes!! Perfection. If it goes into the early 2000s, surely it will cover William meeting Kate?
My goodness this woman is beautiful.
The Crown started with Elizabeth’s wedding. I would love for them to go back to WWI and forward. Very interesting, the last Tsar, Churchill and WWII, rebranding as Windsor’s, the abdication.
Isn’t she too tall though? They’ll have to cast a tall Prince Charles.
I always thought Charles Dance would make a perfect older Phillip. But instead they used him as Louis Mountbatten. A missed opportunity imo.
very beautiful