Netflix's The Crown is gearing up for another fantastic season filled with dynamic performances, and now the show has added a Game of Thrones actor to Season 3 who should easily help them fulfill that goal. Charles Dance, who many will likely recognize from his work as Tywin Lannister on HBO's fantasy epic, has signed on for a role in the upcoming season of The Crown. And, you can bet the veteran British actor will bring his best to whatever part he's set to play.
Netflix hasn't confirmed who Charles Dance will be playing just yet, but, according to Digital Spy, it's believed that he is taking on the part of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was Prince Charles' favorite great-uncle. Louis had a distinguished career in the British Navy, was the last viceroy of India, and was assassinated in 1979 by the Irish Republican Army when they planted a bomb in his boat. And, after seeing photos of the real Louis, it's easy to see why it's suspected that Dance has been hired to play the military leader and statesman, because they do share quite the resemblance. If Dance is, in fact, portraying Louis, it means that he will be taking over the role from Greg Wise, who played the character in nine episodes across both current seasons of The Crown.
Of course, resemblance aside, no one who's looking to cast their project would turn down the work of Charles Dance. As Game of Thrones fans know, he can turn in a steely, stately performance capable of giving one chills even when he doesn't have much in the way of dialogue, so having Dance added to the cast of The Crown, in whatever role he ends up taking on, is a win-win for the royal drama and the audience. This is especially true since Dance has become known for his portrayals of no nonsense bureaucrats and a wide variety of bad guys.
Charles Dance began his work in film and TV in 1974 with the series The Inheritors, and has gone on to rack up an impressive list of almost 150 credits. The two time Emmy nominee (for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie in 2006 for Bleak House and Outstanding Narrator in 2018 for Savage Kingdom) was awarded the title Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work in the dramatic arts by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. Dance has also appeared in For Your Eyes Only, The Jewel in the Crown, The Golden Child, Alien 3, Last Action Hero, Michael Collins, Gosford Park, Strike Back, Dracula Untold and Johnny English Strikes Again.
The Crown was lucky to get its hands on Charles Dance. A look at the actor's IMDB page reveals that he's in high demand, and has 10 projects in some state of production right now. While we have no word as of yet on how often we can expect to see Dance pop up on Season 3, he's part of a lot of changes for the show as it makes a major time jump and recasts every major part, along with adding several new characters. Series creator Peter Morgan has said that this season will follow Queen Elizabeth and her family from 1964 to 1976, so, it will be interesting to see just how he fits into the narrative.
The acclaimed drama is actually taking a big chance by recasting roles instead of just aging main actors Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Vanessa Kirby and others with makeup and prosthetics. The performances are a large part of what's made this show stand out; with several actors getting nominated and winning awards for their work on the historical series. The Crown has been nominated for 101 awards and won a whopping 48 of those in just two seasons, so switching things up at this point is something that I doubt most other shows would even contemplate.
Of course, this was always the plan for The Crown, and while the changes might make it feel like a totally different show, you really can't argue with the choices that have been made so far with regards to the new actors playing the royal family. The next two seasons of The Crown will see Olivia Colman (Broadchurch, The Night Manager, The Favourite) taking on Queen Elizabeth, Tobias Menzies (Outlander, Catastrophe, The Terror) playing Prince Philip and Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech, Cinderella, Ocean's 8) as our new Princess Margaret. I mean, honestly, even if it does feel like more of an anthology once Season 3 kicks off, if you enjoyed the first two seasons, why wouldn't you tune in for this team up?
The Crown has also been busy recasting the roles of Elizabeth and Philip's four children. Right now, we only know that Erin Doherty (Call the Midwife) will play Princess Anne and Josh O'Conner (God's Own Country, The Durrells in Corfu) will play Prince Charles. When the show picks up the action in 1964, Charles will be about 16-years-old, so, if Charles Dance is, indeed, playing his favorite great-uncle Louis Mountbatten, we might get to see just why this relationship was so special to the prince as he entered adulthood. Digital Spy also noted that Dance and O'Conner have been spotted filming scenes together on set, meaning that their connection may actually be an important part of the story for Season 3.
Unfortunately, there's no set air date for The Crown Season 3 just yet, though the series is currently filming and is expected to hit Netflix at some point in 2019. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend, and we'll let you know of any additional casting updates and when the show will return for its latest season as soon as the information becomes available to us. In the meantime, be sure to check out our midseason premiere schedule to see what else is coming to the small screen in 2019, as well as our 2019 Netflix release schedule and list of everything that's new on the streamer once January 2019 rolls around.
