The Crown season 5 won't premiere on Netflix until 2022. Starting back in 2016, The Crown follows England's Queen Elizabeth from the start of her reign onward, with the intention of tracking to nearly (but not quite) the present day. Claire Foy initially starred as Elizabeth alongside Matt Smith as her husband Philip and Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret. However, as The Crown continued to move forward through history, Olivia Colman took over from Foy in season 3, which just premiered on Netflix last November. She was joined by Tobias Menzies as Philip and Helena Bonham Carter as Margaret.
Earlier this year, it was announced that season 5 of The Crown would be its last, with Imelda Staunton playing Elizabeth for this final stretch of time. Showrunner Peter Morgan believed the fifth season could be sufficient to complete the story, but he recently changed his tune. Earlier this month, Morgan confirmed The Crown would actually stick to its original six-season plan in order to "do justice to the richness and complexity of the story." In addition to Staunton, Lesley Manville will join the cast as this cycle's new Princess Margaret, though Philip's new actor has yet to be announced.
The Wrap now reports that fans should expect The Crown season 5 to arrive in 2022. The plan is to begin production on season 5 in June 2021, offering a significant break similar to the one taken between seasons 2 and 3. At the same time, season 4 is still on track to arrive later this year, so viewers will still have ten episodes to look forward to before the longer hiatus.
The Crown season 4 was one of the few television productions that managed to finish on schedule earlier this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down just about everyone else. Netflix ceased production on nearly all of their ongoing shows, including Stranger Things and The Witcher. However, The Crown had only a week left of filming and was able to complete it without any issues. Season 4 will mark Colman's second and last time playing the Queen, and will also introduce characters like Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) and Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin).
Even if Netflix wished to start work on The Crown season 5 this year, odds are the pandemic would've affected its start date. Several productions are gearing up to begin again in the coming months, but there are several precautions that must be put in place first. Therefore, waiting until next year to start is probably a better plan for The Crown. Of course, this means there will be quite the gap between seasons 4 and 5, but fans can be assured that it is still on the way.
The Crown season 4 will premiere on Netflix later in 2020.
Source: The Wrap