‘The Crown’ Casts Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip in Seasons 5 & 6
“The Crown” has found its final Prince Philip.
Legendary British actor Jonathan Pryce has been cast to play the Queen’s husband in the fifth and sixth seasons of “The Crown,” Variety has confirmed.
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Pryce will be taking over from fellow “Game of Thrones” alum Tobias Menzies, who portrayed the often controversial figure during season 3 and in the upcoming fourth season. He will join Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II (taking over from Olivia Colman) and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret (taking over from Helena Bonham Carter). Former “Doctor Who” star Matt Smith originated the role of Philip in the series.
News of Pryce’s casting comes just over a month after “The Crown” showrunner Peter Morgan confirmed that the massive Netflix series would be coming back for a sixth and final season, after originally saying the plan was to end after season 5. Seasons 5 and 6 will take royal family into the early 2000s.
“As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, 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. To be clear, Series 6 will not bring us any closer to present-day — it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail,” explained Morgan in announcing the decision to extend to a sixth season.
“The Crown,” which garnered a whopping 13 Emmy nominations for its latest outing, wrapped shooting on season 4 in mid-March, just ahead of the U.K. being placed in lockdown. It’s expected that season 4 will launch later this year, and will be Oscar winner Colman’s final turn as Queen. It will cover the Margaret Thatcher era, as well as Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s tumultuous marriage.
Pryce is best known for his roles in classic features like “Brazil” and “Glengarry Glen Ross,” and more recently for his turn as the High Sparrow in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Earlier this year, Pryce was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the Netflix film “The Two Popes,” in which he starred opposite Anthony Hopkins.
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