Imelda Staunton’s reign as Queen has commenced. On Friday, Netflix released the first photo of the Oscar nominee playing Queen Elizabeth II in Season 5 of The Crown. In the image, Staunton sports a printed yellow blouse, string of pearls, and a look of disdain pointed towards an unseen person. That—and other secrets behind the Emmy-winning series’ next installment—won’t be revealed until 2022.
When the royal drama returns next year, viewers will have to adapt to a new monarch once again. Staunton replaces Oscar winner Olivia Colman as the Queen, following her two-season stint in the role. Colman took over for Claire Foy, who played a younger version of Elizabeth in the show’s first two seasons. Despite an initial report that The Crown’s fifth season would be its last, Staunton will play the role for seasons 5 and 6.
“I have loved watching The Crown from the very start,” Staunton said in a statement last January. “As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan’s scripts. I am genuinely honored to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion.”
Joining Staunton in The Crown’s fifth season are Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Jonny Lee Miller as Prime Minister John Major, Dominic West as Prince Charles, and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana. The actors playing Camilla Parker Bowles, Sarah Ferguson, and the controversial Prince Andrew have yet to be revealed.
Season 5 will reportedly take place in the ’90s, covering such events as the rocky splits in 1996 between Prince Charles and Princess Diana, as well as Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. “As we started to discuss the story lines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story, we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons,” The Crown’s creator Peter Morgan told The Hollywood Reporter of his show’s sixth and final installment.
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