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'The Crown' Season 4: Release date, cast, plot and all you need to know about Olivia Colman-starrer historical drama

The next season will bring forth Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher into the picture and will shed light on Prince Charles and Princess Diana Spencer's marriage.

Chronicling Queen Elizabeth II's reign, Season 3 of 'The Crown' ended in 1977 with Prime Minister Harold Wilson's resignation. The next season will bring forth the first lady prime minister Margaret Thatcher into the picture and will shed light on Prince Charles and Princess Diana Spencer's marriage. 

In April, it was announced on the official Twitter account of 'The Crown' that Emma Corrin had been cast as Lady Diana Spencer and that filming would begin “later this year.” Moreover, Ted Sarandos earlier said each season will span about a decade in Queen Elizabeth’s reign.

Talking about the fourth season, Olivia Colman told Entertainment Weekly that filming with Gillian Anderson as Thatcher makes her job as Queen feel "less" like a historical piece. "It feels quite different. We had our read-through and to hear the voices of Margaret Thatcher and all of that, it’s quite fun," she said.

Release date

Hard-core fans seem to have already binge-watched the series and can't wait for the next season. Most likely, 'The Crown' will come back for its fourth outing in late fall 2020, perhaps before Christmas. However, it is simply based on presumptions as Season 1 aired November 4, 2016, season 2 aired December 8, 2017, and season 3 aired on November 17. 

Confirming the final date, the official Twitter account posted, "The monarchy. Above all else. @GillianA and Emma Corrin join Olivia Colman in Season Four of The Crown, arriving 15th November."

Plot

After the third season culminated with Prime Minister Harold Wilson's resignation, the fourth season sets the stage for Margaret Thatcher's takeover as the head of state. Renowned as the Iron Lady, she held that title from 1979 to 1990 and it began a new era for the first female prime minister of Britain. 

Moreover, Prince Charles met Diana Spencer, the two got married in 1981 and later had two sons, William and Harry. The new season might also delve deeper into Charles’ extramarital affair with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. 

Cast

Olivia Colman

Academy Award winner Olivia Colman took the baton from Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II in Season 3 and will continue to play the part in Season 4. The actress has starred in 'The 'Favourite' and 'Broadchurch' and is a recipient of four BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Independent Film Awards, the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, and a BFI Fellowship.

Gillian Anderson

It has been confirmed that Gillian Anderson will take on the role of Margaret Thatcher in the new season. The actress has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards and has starred as Lady Dedlock in 'Bleak House' (2005), Wallis Simpson in 'Any Human Heart' (2010), Miss Havisham in 'Great Expectations' (2011), Dr Bedelia Du Maurier on 'Hannibal' (2013–2015), and Media on 'American Gods' (2017). She has also been seen as Jean Milburn in the Netflix comedy-drama 'Sex Education' (2019).

Emma Corrin

Emma Corrin will take the role of a young Princess Diana in Season 4. The actress has starred in major roles in 'Cesare' (2017) and 'Pennyworth' (2019).

The other cast includes Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, Marion Bailey as Queen Mother, Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles, Jason Watkins as Prime Minister Harold Watkins, Emerald Fennell as Camilla Parker-Bowles, Ben Daniels as Antony Armstrong-Jones and Erin Doherty as Princess Anne.

Director/Writer

Peter Morgan

Peter Morgan is the writer and creator of the Netflix series. He is also credited for the 2006 film 'The Queen' and the 2013 stage play 'The Audience'. Several other directors of the television series who were also involved in the stage production are Stephen Daldry, Philip Martin, Julian Jarrold, and Benjamin Caron.

Andrew Eaton is the producer of the series along with executive producers Andy Harries, Suzanne Mackie, Matthew Byam-Shaw, Robert Fox, Tanya Seghatchian, Nina Wolarsky and Allie Goss.

News

As 'The Crown' takes another leap and cast reshuffle in Season 5, Imelda Staunton will take over the role of Queen Elizabeth II from Claire Foy and Olivia Colman. The actress is known for her performance in the title role in the 2004 film 'Vera Drake' and is popular for playing Dolores Umbridge in two of the Harry Potter films.

Trailer

In a 33-second teaser released by the official Twitter account shows Olivia Colman as The Queen. "Something as important as the monarchy simply cannot be allowed to fail," she says.

Where to watch

Three seasons of 'The Crown' are available for streaming on Netflix. Catch all the episodes of Season 4 as they drop on November 15.

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