Harry Potter fans, look away now.
English actress Imelda Staunton is well-known for a wide variety of roles, but more than anything she is remembered as Dolores Umbridge — Harry Potter’s sadistic defence against the dark arts teacher in fifth year, who goes on to help out Voldemort later on in the series.
Now, it appears that Staunton is in line for an even more iconic role: Queen Elizabeth herself.
The third season of Netflix’s The Crown landed earlier this week, with Academy Award-winner Olivia Colman taking over as Queen Elizabeth for season 3 and 4, but the show renews its cast every two seasons and is surely already planning ahead.
According to movie magazine Deadline, Staunton is in talks with Left Bank Pictures over the role, although it is still not confirmed.
Netflix themselves have thrown some cold water on the speculation, saying: “We are currently filming season 4 of The Crown but have not commissioned any further seasons as yet, therefore any news on casting remains pure speculation.”
Still, anyone familiar with Staunton’s work will know that she’s a great fit for The Queen. We can definitely see this one happening.
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