The Crown Casts a Perfect New Queen Elizabeth for Seasons 3 and 4

We've known for some time now that Claire Foy would be leaving the role of Queen Elizabeth on Netflix's hit series The Crown after Season 2, but now we have the long-awaited announcement of exactly who is going to replace her: Olivia Colman!

Variety broke the news today that Colman would be joining the cast of The Crown for Seasons 3 and 4 as the reigning queen of England. The reason behind this recasting is the inevitable time jump Season 3 will bring, as Queen Elizabeth transitions out of her youth and into middle age.

Colman is an incredible bit of casting for many reasons, chief among them that she's likely to extend The Crown's successful run at awards season. Colman has won a Golden Globe award and Screen Actors Guild award as best actress in a drama, and she snagged an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie last year.

The versatile British actress is well known to hardcore TV fans. She's starred in Peep Show, Fleabag, Broadchurch, Rev and The Night Manager, among others.

The Crown Season 2 hits Netflix on December 8th.