Olivia Colman will replace Claire Foy as the lead in the third season of Netflix drama The Crown, The Guardian reported.
The Emmy award-winning show chronicles the story of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, beginning with her engagement to Prince Phillip in 1947. Colman will play an older Elizabeth as the series moves closer to the present.
Ahead of the season one premiere, creator Peter Morgan had said he intended to change the key cast members as they age. “What’s so beautiful about Claire is her youth,” Morgan had told Variety. “You can’t ask someone to act middle-aged. Someone has to bring their own fatigue to it. The feelings we all have as 50-year-olds are different than the feelings we all have as 30-year-olds. That informs everything we do.”
Matt Smith, who plays Prince Philip, is also likely to be replaced for later seasons, but the casting has not been announced.
Foy has received critical acclaim for her performance in The Crown, winning the Golden Globe award this year for best actress in a television drama. Colman, who also played detective Evie Miller in British crime drama Broadchurch, won the BAFTA award for best actress for the role and was also nominated for an Emmy.
The second season of The Crown will be premiered on Netflix on December 8. Production is underway for the third season.