Netflix's royal drama The Crown is set to end after its fifth season, after revealing Imelda Staunton with end the show in the role of Queen Elizabeth II. The news comes after the third series was released to the streaming platform back in November.
Per The Guardian, Peter Morgan, the show's creator and writer, explained: "I’m absolutely thrilled to confirm Imelda Staunton as Her Majesty the Queen for the fifth and final season, taking The Crown into the 21st century. Imelda is an astonishing talent and will be a fantastic successor to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.
"At the outset I had imagined The Crown running for six seasons but now that we have begun work on the stories for season five it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop. I’m grateful to Netflix and Sony for supporting me in this decision."
Earlier this month, Netflix revealed that 73 million of the 158 million households with a Netflix account have seen the royal drama.
Season five will reportedly follow the events of the Royal Family up until the year 2003.
Commenting on her role as the Queen, Imelda Staunton said, "I have loved watching The Crown from the very start. As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan’s scripts. I am genuinely honored to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion."
Netflix will continue to work with Morgan, after signing him up to an overall deal last year, Deadline reports.
The Crown has been popular with viewers and critics alike, with many praising the show for its relatively accurate depiction of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The show has also won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series (Drama), and stars John Lithgow and Claire Foy have both won Primetime Emmy Awards for their respective roles in the show.