Olivia Colman will reportedly replace Claire Foy as the Queen in season three and four of The Crown.
According to E Online, the plan was always to hire a different actress to play the monarch during middle age. The show's creator, Peter Morgan, believes the acting is more believable when the actress is of the same age as her character.
"What's so beautiful about Claire is her youth," he told Variety. "You can't ask someone to act middle-aged. Someone has to bring their own fatigue to it. The feelings we all have as 50-year-olds are different than the feelings we all have as 30-year-olds. That informs everything we do."
Earlier this month, Foy said that she knew who her successor was, but couldn't reveal the name.
"I know who's doing it and I'm not telling you... It's really exciting and great and amazing!" Foy teased.
Colman - who has had acclaimed roles in Fleabag, The Night Manager and Broadchurch - has not yet commented on the news. The second season of The Crown airs on Netflix on 8 December.
