The Crown Producer Levels On Bidding Farewell To Original Cast

The Crown is about to undergo a changing of the guard.

With Netflix pushing full steam ahead on seasons 3 and 4, the show’s swung its doors open to an entirely new cast, beginning with Olivia Colman and the supremely talented Helena Bonham Carter.

It’s been a bittersweet transition, of course, as viewers had fallen in love with The Crown‘s OG cast – namely Claire Foy, Vanessa Kirby and former Doctor Who actor Matt Smith. Turns out it was just as difficult (if not more difficult) for the creative team involved behind the scenes, as series producer Suzanne Mackie tells The Hollywood Reporter:

It was very sad to say goodbye to the season one and two cast; they were brilliant and we’d all become friends. But I don’t think any other show has recast its characters between seasons, so there is something both nerve-wracking and exhilarating too.

As for what The Crown season 3 will entail, Mackie refused to be drawn about specific plot details, but the producer did hint that Netflix subscribers will be entering a brand new era, as we follow the journey of Queen Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret through Buckingham Palace and beyond.

The arrival of a new generation 
of characters, with Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Camilla. Season two depicted the late 
’50s and early swinging ’60s, 
and with it introduced a whole new mood and atmosphere. Princess Margaret and Armstrong-Jones embody these sociopolitical changes.

Production on The Crown season 3 began late last month all across the United Kingdom, with the latest set pics revealing the seaside city of Liverpool transformed into 1960s Washington D.C., replete with vintage cards and retro-inspired storefronts. It makes for quite the scene, and we’ll be keeping you posted as more information comes to light.