The Crown,’ Netflix’s highly-acclaimed historical drama about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, continues to set down the casting for its next duplet of upcoming seasons in the fifth and sixth with the casting of Elizabeth Debicki. She will portray Diana, Princess of Wales starting season 5, after Emma Corrin debuts the character (as Lady Diana Spencer) this coming season 4. Considering the long lives lived by the characters, the production has decided on casting turnovers every two seasons. Originating actress Claire Foy (2016-17) passed the baton to Olivia Colman for season 3 (2019).

Already she has her replacement lined up with Imelda Staunton starting season 5.

'Royal' casting for Australian actress

As Entertainment Weekly would have it, Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television have chosen Elizabeth Debicki to take up the portrayal of Diana Spencer, one-time Princess of Wales, from Emma Corrin for the still in-development season 5 of “The Crown” on Netflix. The 29-year-old Australian actress was in 2013’s “The Great Gatsby,” and MCU fans might remember her as the Sovereign ruler Ayesha on “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” Debicki also left some words on her casting at the official Twitter page of “The Crown,” remarking on the character of the Royal she has been cast to play.

On the post, the actress from Melbourne took note of the late Princess of Wales’ spirit, her words and her actions, and how all these helped endear her to the memory, not just of Britons but nearly everyone.

It was not for nothing that Diana received the nickname of “The People’s Princess” from then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. Her death by accident in Paris in 1997 was mourned by the world.

‘The Crown’ producers, fans impressed

The Daily Mail has further details on how Elizabeth Debicki aced being cast as Diana, Princess of Wales for the still far-off fifth season of “The Crown.” The production staff has been very much impressed by her prior acting credentials.

Aside from “The Great Gatsby” where she was directed by a similarly wowed Baz Luhrmann, she was also in some heavy-action films like “The Man from UNCLE,” and sci-fi horror in “The Cloverfield Paradox.” She also figures in the COVID-delayed Warner Bros. spy flick “Tenet.”

Thus far, Debicki has gotten mostly thumbs-ups from very excited viewers of “The Crown.” They take note of her 6-foot-3 height. While the real Diana was 5-foot-10, she also frequently wore high heels which would approximate Debicki’s stature. Coincidentally, if the starting timeframe of season 5 were true, then Diana then would be aged 29, as the Australian is now.

Season 4 of “The Crown” is slated to premiere on Netflix this coming November, while season 5 will start filming in 2021 for a projected streaming release the following year.