Streaming | The magic on the set of "The Crown": actors, premiere and places to spoil
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One of the most surprising situations to have occurred during the filming of the fifth season is Elizabeth Debicki. The actress, who reincarnates Diana, the Princess of Wales, seems to have brought her back to her life. While many doppelgängers turn heads at the many dramatizations of the late princess's life, there is none quite like her.
Photos surfaced this weekend of Debicki in a strappy floor-length white dress and beaded top arriving at what appears to be a movie premiere. Debicki's hair and makeup are flawless in their accurate portrayal of Diana's signature style.
Although it is not known exactly which moment is being dramatized, it is believed that it could be a re-enactment of a fundraising concert Diana attended in Modena, Italy, in September 1995. There is certainly a parallel in the dress white with suspenders that seems to gesture back to that particular occasion.
The anticipation for the fifth season of The Crown is growing, and fans have been treated to more exciting on-set photos of the cast and crew in action. Last year, Debicki and her on-screen husband Dominic West, who plays Prince Charles, were spotted posing aboard a glamorous yacht, dressed in a vibrant floral dress and a brown tweed suit, respectively. Both Debicki and West accessorized their costumes with retro sunglasses, while Debicki sported Diana's signature '90s short haircut.
The actors are believed to be re-enacting the Prince and Princess of Wales's trip to Italy in 1991 aboard Charles's yacht Alexandra, for which they were joined by young Princes William and Harry. Despite providing a number of healthy family photo opportunities, the outing took place just months before Charles and Diana announced their separation, at a time when their marriage was extremely strained.
Filming for the scene, however, took place in Spain, with another storied yacht replacing the Alexandra: Christina O, the opulent 300-foot-long ship that once belonged to Aristotle and Jackie Kennedy Onassis, moored in Palma de Mallorca.
Netflix released the first look at West and Debicki as Charles and Diana late last year - arguably the most anticipated characters - as the hit historical drama moves into the 1990s and captioned the snap, "Our New Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki)".
Debicki, 31, looks tantalizingly similar to the late princess when she takes on the role in the final season, taking over from Emma Corrin's acclaimed turn in season 4. Photos of Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip have also surfaced , which show him atop a carriage wearing a bowler hat. The resemblance is eerily uncanny, as he dons a pristine wax jacket and a crisp white shirt.
Meanwhile, Claudia Harrison, 45, who previously appeared in The IT Crowd, Humans and Midsomer Murders, will replace Erin Doherty to play an older princess royal. On-set images captured over the summer showed Harrison transformed into the Queen's daughter, wearing an outdoor ensemble that included jeans, layered jackets and coats, a patterned headscarf and sunglasses. She was photographed filming at Covesea Lighthouse in Scotland, leading to speculation that the cast was re-enacting Princess Anne's visit to a stable in Covesea in 2002. She was also seen aboard a boat with her on-screen mother, actress Imelda Staunton.
Also appearing on the set was actor Theo Fraser Steele (known for The Golden Compass and The Thick of It ), who appears to be playing the princess's second husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
Early on-set photos of Imelda Staunton as the Queen, meanwhile, showed the actress bearing a striking resemblance to the monarch in a matching green patterned blouse and skirt, plus a chic dark blue hat and green, covering between takes in a cozy coat and short Hunter boots. The scenes were filmed on the River Deveron in Macduff, Scotland, where the Queen and the late Prince Philip paid a visit in August 1961, aboard the Royal Britannia.
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After The Crown season 4 was released on Netflix in November 2020, many watched all eight episodes in days. The drama drew more viewers than the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, with 29 million people tuning in to the series in its first week of release.
The show's creator, Peter Morgan, confirmed that there would be a Season 6 finale during an interview in July 2020, stating: "When we started discussing the Series 5 storylines, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the wealth and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons.' He added: "To be clear, Series 6 will not bring us closer to the present, it will simply allow us to cover the same period in greater detail."
As we know, the cast is replaced after two seasons and we have plenty of new faces to look forward to when Season 5 finally airs. The streaming giant previously confirmed that Jonny Lee Miller (known for his memorable roles in hits like Trainspotting , Elementary and Dracula) has been cast as former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major. Major served as Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997, taking over from Margaret Thatcher (played by Gillian Anderson in The Crown season 4).
Meanwhile, Imelda Staunton will be the third actress to take on the role of the Queen for the fifth and sixth seasons, replacing Olivia Colman. When her choice was announced, Staunton said: "I am truly honored to join such an exceptional creative team and to bring The Crown to its conclusion."
Oscar-nominated star Lesley Manville will play Princess Margaret, taking over from Helena Bonham Carter. Manville stated of the announcement: "I couldn't be happier to be playing Princess Margaret. The baton is passed by two terrific actresses and I really don't want to let anyone down."
Replacing Emma Corrin, whose portrayal was always meant for one season only, Elizabeth Debicki will take over the role of the late Princess Diana for seasons 5 and 6. She said on Twitter: "It is a true privilege and honor for me join".
Dominic West (of The Affair fame) will play the new Prince Charles, while Olivia Williams (who recently starred in Sky's The Nevers) will play Camilla Parker Bowles. The actors will play the couple during the years before and immediately after Diana's sad death in 1997. In addition, there are Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne and Theo Fraser Steele as Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, two other new additions to the cast. Variety also recently reported that Khalid Abdalla (of The Kite Runner and Green Zone) will play Dodi Fayed, while Salim Daw (Tel Aviv on Fire; Gaza Mon Amour) will play his father, Mohamed Al-Fayed.
There have been no confirmed details about what the stories will be in season 5 of The Crown, but we do know that season 4 ended in 1990, when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher stepped down. We expect Season 5 to pick up where she last left off, covering the hectic era of the '90s. According to reports, Season 6 will likely end in the "early 2000s."
So what were the biggest real and political events of the 1990s? There was the separation of the new Conservative Prime Minister, John Major, Princess Diana and Prince Charles in 1992, and their subsequent divorce in 1996. Deadline also reports that season 5 will cover Diana's renowned 1995 Panorama interview from 1995 ( of 'there were three of us in the fame of this marriage). It's a particularly timely review, given that in recent months the BBC's Martin Bashir has come under fire over allegations of unethical conduct in securing the scoop, prompting Dyson's damning report on the journalist's methods. During the period soon to be covered by The Crown, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips also divorced, as did Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York.
Season 5 of The Crown is likely to also depict the new Labor government of 1997, when Tony Blair was elected leader in May of that year. Of course, 1997 was also the year that Princess Diana tragically died in a car accident.
While production is already underway, there is no official release date for the upcoming series yet. As well as on location in the UK and abroad, as in the new scenes being filmed in Spain, filming takes place at Elstree Studios.
Deadline previously reported that the next installment likely won't hit screens until 2022. This isn't believed to be due to coronavirus delays, but rather an intentional pause (there was previously, for example, a wait two years between seasons 2 and 3) – leaving plenty of time for anticipation to reach a fever pitch.|