‘Downton Abbey’ star set to be next Queen on ‘The Crown’ after Olivia Colman

Olivia Colman only made her debut in The Crown a couple of weeks ago.

But it’s already being reported that her replacement may have been found!

10 new episodes of the award-winning period drama series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom arrived on Netflix earlier this month.

The third season of The Crown has seen the entire original cast replaced by older actors as the story moves further into the second half of the 20th Century.

Season 4 is already filming, with new historical figures set to include Margaret Thatcher and a young Princess Diana.

The Crown creator Peter Morgan has previously revealed, however, that the planned fifth and sixth seasons of the show will again feature a completely new cast.

Even though production on the drama’s final two seasons is still a couple of years away, apparently the team have already decided who’ll be following Claire Foy and Olivia Colman in the role of Elizabeth.

The Daily Mail reports that English actress Imelda Staunton is being lined up to take over the part.

The 63-year-old Harry Potter star will be familiar to period drama fans for her recent appearance in the Downton Abbey movie as Lady Maud Bagshaw.

She’s also married to another Downton cast member in real life: Jim Carter, who plays Mr Carson.

Staunton’s casting is still only a rumour at this point, however.

A Netflix spokesperson commented: “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.”

She’s a wonderful actress though and we think she’d be perfect!

The fourth season of The Crown is expected to arrive on Netflix in late 2020, so Staunton would be unlikely to appear on our screens as Queen Elizabeth II before the end of 2021 at the earliest.

Downton Abbey: The Complete Collection DVD box set is available on Amazon.