A spokesperson for Netflix's The Crown has spoken out against reports that they are struggling to find an actor to play Prince Andrew in season five of the hit royal drama.
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The reports claimed that due to advertising for the role on Spotlight, a casting publication, it suggested that the production was having difficulty attaching a name to the somewhat controversial role.
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However, these rumours were shut down by the show, with a representative telling The Wrap: "There is absolutely no struggle to cast any role for season 5 of The Crown and it is normal practice for productions to advertise in Spotlight."
The show looks at the royal family through the decades
The role was portrayed by actor Tom Byrne in season four, however, most characters have been recast for seasons five and six to signify the passing of time.
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Several new cast members have already been confirmed to star, including Imelda Staunton as the Queen, Jonathan Pryce as the Duke of Edinburgh, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Prince Charles, and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana. The cast will be taking over from Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies, Helena Bonham Carter, Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin respectively.
Imelda is set to play the Queen in seasons five and six
Filming for the new series is set to begin in June 2021, according to Variety, and will be the penultimate season before it concludes with season six. The show was originally intended to conclude by season five, but creator Peter Morgan extended it by another series. In a statement shared by Netflix, he said: "As we started to discuss the storylines for season five, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons.
"To be clear, series six will not bring us any closer to present-day — it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail."
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