A twist in Netflix's royal family saga: The story isn't ending with The Crown season five after all. The streamer made the announcement on Twitter.
Despite previously announcing The Crown season five starring Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, series creator and Netflix reversed their decision. Now, season six will be the last.
"As we started to discuss the storylines for series five, 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," Morgan said in a statement.
The Crown started off starring Claire Foy as the monarch in the first two seasons, then Olivia Colman took over the role for season three and the upcoming season four (expected to be released later in 2020). Staunton, whose credits include Vera Drake, Pride and the Harry Potter film series, was announced as the third and final Queen Elizabeth in early 2020.
"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," Morgan said in a statement at the time. "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."
Season four of The Crown will introduce Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and Emma Corrin as Princess Diana. The show is expected to end before getting into the royal drama surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's exit from their duties with the monarchy.
"The first three seasons of The Crown defined an era, and I know the upcoming fourth season will build further on that success. It's a stunning example of award-winning entertainment, created in the UK and loved by millions of fans around the world. I fully support Peter Morgan's creative decision and am excited to see how he, Imelda Staunton and the cast and crew of season five, bring this landmark series to a fitting and spectacular end," Cindy Holland, vice president of original content at Netflix, said in a statement in January 2020 when the fifth season was announced as the last.
Get scoop on The Crown season four below.