Colman replaces Foy to play older Queen
OLIVIA COLMAN is to play the Queen in the next series of the television drama The Crown.
The actress will portray the monarch in the next stage of her life, replacing Claire Foy, 33, who won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of the young Queen.
Foy completed filming for the second series of the Netflix drama in the spring but it was thought another actress would be needed to play the Queen in the next phase of her reign.
Once Colman, 43, has completed the next two series, the show’s casting teams will hire a third actress to cover the last 30 years of Her Majesty’s life.
Colman, who has won a Golden Globe for her role in BBC drama The Night Manager, has not signed a contract yet but has agreed to take on the regal role, the Daily Mail reported.
The actress has some experience in playing members of the Royal Family. In 2012 she played the Queen Mother in the film Hyde Park on Hudson, which told the story of the family’s visit to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. Colman became a familiar face on the nation’s TV sets during a supporting role in comedy series Peep Show before starring in detective series Broadchurch, for which she won best actress award at the 2014 Baftas.
She has won a Bafta on two other occasions, the best female comedy performance for BBC series Twenty Twelve and best supporting actress for Accused in 2013. Colman is also playing Queen Anne in a biopic on the 18th century monarch alongside actresses Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.
The second series of The Crown will be available on Netflix in December and is expected to cover more uncomfortable episodes in the lives of the Royal Family.