The first two seasons of “The Crown” were not only terrific television, they provided a great platform for the cast, including breakout talents Claire Foy and Vanessa Kirby. We’re going to miss them as Peter Morgan and his team revamp the cast for the next two seasons, which will leap ahead a decade in the life of the royal family. However, the new cast is already shaping up to be pretty exciting. Olivia Colman will take the role of Queen Elizabeth II, while Helena Bonham Carter has signed on as Princess Margaret. Now, another intriguing puzzle piece looks like it’s getting firmed up.
According to reporter Baz Bamigboye, who is usually pretty spot on with his scoops, Paul Bettany is in negotiations to take over from Matt Smith as Prince Philip. There had been rumors floating that Michael Sheen or David Tennant were in the mix for the part, but frankly, they seem a bit too colorful for the buttoned up Philip. We can totally see Bettany nailing the blandly annoyed, handsome devilishness that Philip tends to exude.
Bettany has been busy lately, just coming off playing Ted Kaczynski in “Manhunt: Unabomber,” and he’s got two huge blockbusters on the horizon in the year ahead — “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
However, as Bamigboye notes, there’s no deal set yet. But, fingers crossed, as it seems like some pretty smart casting and one more reason to keep hoping that “The Crown” seasons three and four will continue hitting the high bar the show has set so far.
#PaulBettany in negotiations about possibility of him portraying #PrincePhilip in @TheCrownNetflix in season three & four .No deal yet but talks are ongoing. pic.twitter.com/7H8HYjY7q2
— Baz Bamigboye @Deadline (@BazBam) January 18, 2018
