The Crown season 5 has announced the casting of Senan West, son of The Wire star Dominic West, to portray Prince William. The elder West has already been cast as his father, the aged-up Prince Charles. The Crown follows the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and the many important historical events that occur during her tenure as queen. The show recasts its major characters every two seasons to symbolize the passage of time, with Dominic taking over from Emmy winner Josh O'Connor.
The new cast will also include Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana. With the previous season ending in the 1980s, the new season is expected to follow the royals into the late 90s, likely including the death of Diana in 1997 in a car crash. The new season has already been met with minor controversy after a friend of Diana's, who worked as an advisor for the show, departed after creative disagreements regarding the late princess' depictions.
According to Variety, 13-year old Senan was cast as the prince after his audition tape impressed the producers. The younger West is expected to make his screen debut in the later episodes of the season, likely portraying William in the events leading up to and following Diana's death. Producers of The Crown have been reluctant to comment on whether the show will directly depict the accident, or just the events surrounding it.
The Crown is just one of several new productions to depict the life of Princess Diana, with Pablo Larrain's Spencer opening in cinemas on November 5, and a musical adaptation simply titled Diana being released on Netflix on October 1. Season 5 is expected to cover Diana's later years and divorce from Charles, including her controversial interview with BBC's Martin Bashir where she said there were "three people" in her marriage, referring to Charles' mistress (and current wife) Camilla Parker Bowles. The new season will also likely cover the divorces of the Queen's other children, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, to be played by Claudia Harrison and James Murray in the new season respectively.
After The Crown season 4 won all 7 major dramatic Emmy awards, fans are clamoring for more of the high-quality historical drama. The Crown season 5 is confirmed for November 2022, and with a promising new cast, the show is expected to be as stunningly beautiful and narratively interesting as previous seasons. While the latest season was criticized for historical inaccuracies, it's important to remember that The Crown is not a documentary, but an interpretation of history that will be seen and remembered by many who weren't around for the actual historical events. With its consistently intelligent and powerful writing, The Crown season 5 should hold up to the high standard it's set for itself.
Source: Variety