If you thought Netflix would delay The Crown Season 5 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, you were wrong.
Netflix revealed Saturday during its Tudum Global Fan Event that the next chapter in Peter Morgan’s hit drama series would get underway on November 9.
All episodes of the fifth season will be available on that date.
The November premiere has been hinted at multiple times, but there was no telling whether a delay would be on the horizon.
Imelda Staunton is set to take over the role of Queen Elizabeth II from Olivia Colman for the penultimate season.
The cast also includes Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Dominic West as the Prince of Wales, Jonathan Pryce as the Duke of Edinburgh, and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.
At one point, The Crown Season 5 was supposed to be the concluding chapter of the series.
“As we started to discuss the storylines for series five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons,” series creator Peter Morgan said in a statement.
“To be clear, season six will not bring us any closer to present day — it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail,” adds Morgan.
Production on The Crown Season 6, which will introduce Rufus Kampa and Ed McVey as Prince William and Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton, was brought to a halt earlier this month following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Morgan told Deadline that the series is a “love letter” to Queen Elizabeth II.
Executive Producer Stephen Daldry hinted several years ago to Deadline that there would be a pause if the Queen passed away.
“None of us know when that time will come, but it would be right and proper to show respect to the Queen,” Daldry said.
“It would be a simple tribute and a mark of respect. She’s a global figure, and it’s what we should do.”
It’s unclear at this stage whether the scripts will change for Season 6, or if Netflix will extend the show in some capacity.
For now, we know the show is returning on November 9.
The series has been scaling the Netflix charts of late amid a resurgence in interest.
What are your thoughts on the premiere date?
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
