She's Getting Her Own Show

It sounds like Netflix's next series could follow in the footsteps of House of Cards and Orange is the New Black as another big hit. Sony Pictures in talks with Netflix to air a series about Queen Elizabeth II and it sounds epic. The Queen has been depicted in film before, most notably in The Queen starring Helen Mirren, but while that movie looked at only a certain period of her life, the new series would look at Elizabeth's entire 60-year reign. This means it would take a large cast and a very large budget, and it sounds like production is prepared for this.

The show is titled The Crown and will be penned by a writer who has already shown his expertise with this subject, Peter Morgan who wrote The Queen as well as Frost/Nixon, The Last King of Scotland, and Rush. It will be directed by Stephen Daldry of Billy Elliot, The Hours, and The Reader fame. The budget for The Crown is reported to be $170 million and the series is said to be at least 20 hours long and would likely be split into two seasons if Netflix picks it up.

According to a source close to the series who spoke with the Daily Mail, "There will be hundreds and hundreds of roles to be cast, from prime ministers to international leaders such as the U.S. presidents she has met." It is estimated that there will need to be at least three actress to take on the part of the Queen considering how large of a time period the show will encompass.

The large time period means the show will need to be fast-paced. Even with 20 hours, 60 years is a lot of time and major world events to get through. As a point of comparison, Elizabeth has been queen through 12 U.S. presidents. This also means that the show is sure to not lack in action and excitement. Instead of finding the drama in one shorter moment in time, viewers will get the big picture of Queen Elizabeth II's life which, if pulled off successfully, will be sure to draw in viewers.