Netflix is Considering a Possible Prequel to 'The Crown'

Netflix is going all-in on big-budget royalty. The Crown, Bridgerton, and a limited series prequel based on the fictionalized life of Queen Charlotte are all heading for the streaming service in the next year or two. But that's not enough for the streamer, who is now looking to horn in on the PBS/BBC tendency to mine historical U.K. royalty for stories. As first reported by The Daily Mail and then confirmed by Deadline, Left Bank, the producer behind The Crown, is in talks with Netflix about doing a prequel series.

The Crown was one of Netflix's first big gambles when it committed to producing its own content. It was a significant move in the streaming service's attempt to "disrupt" the way TV is made. The service greenlit six seasons all at once in 2014, sight unseen, with a plan to completely recast the series every two seasons rather than cast one set of actors and pay tons of money for aging makeup. (CGI-aided aging and de-aging technology was not yet an affordable option.) The first three seasons earned respectable ratings, critical praise, and Emmy gold, but it was not a massive hit.

Then The Crown Season 4 arrived, and with it, a retelling of the marriage of Prince Charles to Princess Diana, and the series took off. Despite some last-minute decisions to end the show at the turn of the century, instead of pushing up to Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Season 5 and 6 are finishing filming, with planned releases in 2022 and 2023. Add in Bridgerton hitting big and the excitement at a Queen Charlotte prequel, and it's no surprise Netflix is looking for more royalty-based TV.