Two seasons of the lavish series have been produced and Netflix has ordered a further two. The producers have already committed to pay parity for the upcoming runs of the show, which will see a full cast refresh, to reflect the ageing of the characters. Olivia Colman will play the British monarch on the next two seasons and Helena Bonham Carter Princess Margaret. Other key casting decisions are still to be made.

It’s good that “The Queen” will now be paid the most, but their casting needs to reflect that.

If the producer's mandate is now NOBODY makes more money than the actress playing the queen, then the additional actors they get and their agents need to know that going in and shouldn't expect a big payday. In a hypothetical example, if they brought President Obama into a storyline in the future, they aren't going to stunt cast and get a big name like Will Smith because his salary demands are too high. That is unless they producers come to his agent and says this is all we can pay you, if you won't do it for this much, then thank you. Prior to this mandate, if they were willing to spend the money on a big name actor in a role and pay them more than The Queen, they would. I don't see an issue with that. That is how the industry works.

Times change. Duty endures.

As Queen Elizabeth II (Olivia Colman) faces a rapidly changing Britain, her family continues to struggle against the needs of the monarchy and the wants of their fracturing personal lives.

Season Three of The Crown arrives November 17th.

“The Crown” will end after season five, in which Imelda Staunton is to play Queen Elizabeth, Variety has confirmed.

The historical drama from Sony-backed Left Bank Pictures, once believed to be an open-ended pursuit that could see the inclusion of new royals such as Meghan Markle and her new family, will end with Staunton, who had been rumored to be helming the series for a number of months.

“The Crown” has been Netflix’s most global-facing original out of the U.K., and saw Claire Foy play the Queen across its first two seasons, followed by Olivia Colman in the most recent season, which debuted last year.

Production has begun on season four, which will see the introduction of Princess Diana, has already begun.

Creator and executive producer Peter Morgan said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to confirm Imelda Staunton as Her Majesty The Queen for the fifth and final season, taking ‘The Crown’ into the 21st Century. Imelda is an astonishing talent and will be a fantastic successor to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman.”

Morgan said he had envisioned the show, which launched in late 2016, as running for six seasons, but “now that we have begun work on the stories for season five it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop. I’m grateful to Netflix and Sony for supporting me in this decision.”

Cindy Holland, VP of original content for Netflix, said: “The first three seasons of The Crown defined an era, and I know the upcoming fourth season will build further on that success. It’s a stunning example of award-winning entertainment, created in the UK and loved by millions of fans around the world. I fully support Peter Morgan’s creative decision and am excited to see how he, Imelda Staunton and the cast and crew of Season 5, bring this landmark series to a fitting and spectacular end.”

Staunton added: “I have loved watching The Crown from the very start. As an actor it was a joy to see how both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman brought something special and unique to Peter Morgan’s scripts. I am genuinely honoured to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion.”