It seems fitting that Netflix is looking to solidify its place as a global entertainment empire with a new prestige drama examining how Queen Elizabeth II came to terms with her own one. And with a reported budget north of $150m dollars, the streaming giant is throwing the crown jewels at the 10-part series. But if the trailer is anything to go by, we’ll soon all be curtseying on the way to the couch.
British actress Claire Foy, who previously played Anne Boleyn in the BBC’s adaptation of Wolf Hall, will be playing the young incarnation of the longest-serving monarch ever to rule over Great Britain. The show, adapted from the award-winning Peter Morgan play The Audience, takes a personal and dutiful struggles of the young queen, examining how she reconciles her personal life with the shifting landscape of British politics in the decades after the Second World War.
“I am aware that I am surrounded by people who feel that they could do the job better,” the new queen says in the lavish trailer, “Strong people with powerful characters. But, for better or worse, the crown has landed on my head.”
The Audience starred Helen Mirren, playing various iterations of Queen Elizabeth meeting different Prime Ministers of the UK during her now 64-year reign as the head of the British monarchy. It is unclear whether Claire Foy will be aged up for future seasons of the show, or whether another actress will take over.
Former Dr Who Matt Smith co-stars as Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, John Lithgow as Sir Winston Churchill, Jared Harris plays King George VI, and Victoria Hamilton rounds off the principal cast as Princess Margaret.
The Crown will debut with all 10 episodes on November 4th. You can watch the trailer in full below:
