Netflix is taking a big risk with changing the formula of one of its biggest series of all time. But with big risk comes a potentially big reward, and plans for this upcoming prequel sound like they’ll be well worth it, very likely to appeal to fans of the original, and able to bring in a ton of new eyes. A source close to the production said, “Netflix has been locked in negotiations with the company for quite a long time about this spin-off series, but they’ve recently finally managed to seal the deal and come to an agreement.”
And what exactly is that deal? A prequel series for The Crown, the series that spans nearly the entire reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The risk? Covering more than one monarch. The new series will be set between Queen Victoria’s death and the wedding of the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947 at Westminster Abbey. This means that the series is set to include multiple monarchs: Queen Victoria, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI, and finally, Queen Elizabeth I, before she became queen and was simply Elizabeth Windsor.
In 2024, series creator Peter Morgan told The Hollywood Reporter, “For the time being, I cannot imagine any circumstances in which I’d want to go further into the present, as it were, but at the same time, I don’t think I’m done with the subject.” And it appears he’s getting his wish, as he’s slated to return to the production, with a script already underway and casting set to begin next year. “You can find a story in the past and tell that, and it [will] actually be a story about the present, but in camouflage. And that, I think, might be a more elegant way forward,” Morgan elaborated.
The first two seasons of The Crown center on the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, tracing her journey from girlhood to her uncle’s abdication of the throne and her father’s succession, to her wedding and the start of her family, with Claire Foy starring as Elizabeth and Matt Smith as her husband, King Philip. Subsequent seasons follow the rest of her reign, through to the tragic death of Princess Diana and the scandal that fell on the Windsors. It’s one of Netflix’s most highly rated and beloved series, and anything coming after will have big shoes to fill. But if anyone can pull it off, it’s the creator of the original that captivated viewers for years.
What are your thoughts on The Crown now focusing on the reign of multiple monarchs? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fans of the series are saying.
