It’s official: ‘The X-Files’ star really is joining the cast of ‘The Crown’

The rumours about Gillian Anderson being in The Crown are true!

It was first reported last September that the X-Files star might be joining the cast of Netflix’s award-winning period drama.

The Crown tells the story of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

The third season has been shooting in England since last year and will see the show’s entire cast being replaced by older actors as the story moves further into the second half of the 20th Century.

The Times has now confirmed that Gillian Anderson will be playing divisive former Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher.

Baroness Thatcher was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990.

‘The Iron Lady’ was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the UK’s first ever female PM.

However, Anderson won’t appear on screen until the show’s fourth season, as The Crown writer Peter Morgan says Season 3 is set between 1964 and 1976.

The upcoming two seasons are apparently being shot back to back, so it’s expected that she’ll begin filming in early 2019.

Best-known for playing FBI Agent Dana Scully in The X-Files, the 50-year-old British-American actress has been the romantic partner of The Crown writer Peter Morgan since 2016.

Anderson has appeared in several BBC period dramas in recent years, with acclaimed performances in War & Peace, Bleak House and Great Expectations.

The third season of The Crown will premiere on Netflix around the world later this year, with The Favourite star Olivia Colman making her debut as Queen Elizabeth II.

The Crown is available to buy on DVD on Amazon.