The search is finally over, and Buckingham Palace has named its new Prince.
According to Deadline, Tobias Menzies (Outlander) has clinched the role of Prince Philip ahead of The Crown season 3, where he’ll replace the outgoing Matt Smith (Doctor Who) for the next two seasons.
Filming is expected to commence in the UK this summer, and we know Oliva Colman has already agreed to play the slightly older Queen Elizabeth II, while Helena Bonham Carter is attached to the part of Princess Margaret. The latter two characters were originally portrayed by Claire Foy and Vanessa Kirby throughout seasons 1 and 2.
For Menzies, this is another regal role to add to his growing collection, given he’s amassed credits on HBO’s Game of Thrones, Rome and, perhaps most notably, Outlander, where he owned the dual parts of Frank Randall and the sadistic Black Jack Randall.
News of Tobias Menzies’ addition also comes after a particularly strange and difficult fortnight for The Crown. Despite headlining the Netflix period drama as a young Queen Elizabeth II, Claire Foy was paid $40,000 per episode for the opening two seasons – significantly less than her co-star Matt Smith, who allegedly received a bumper contract due to his involvement in Doctor Who.
Such a disparity led to strong reaction online, as evidenced by the Care2 petition calling on Smith and Netflix to donate the difference in paychecks to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. Still no word on whether the Powers That Be have taken heed of said petition, but Claire Foy acknowledged the pay gap in recent interview with EW, where she admits to being “surprised” to find herself in the center of the controversy.
Going forward, The Crown and Left Bank Pictures have vowed to stamp out any trace of a gender pay gap, which certainly bodes well for seasons 3 and 4. Expect production to kick off on the former this summer in the United Kingdom with Tobias Menzies in tow.