The Crown prequel series reportedly in early discussions at Netflix

Olivia Colman in The Crown — (Image credit: IMDb)

The Crown may be getting a prequel series, according to Deadline – Netflix is reportedly in early discussions about a new series, although nothing is officially in development yet.

There are set to be six seasons of the original series in total, with season 5 airing later this year. A prequel would reportedly cover the pre-World War Two era or late Victorian era – season 1 begins with Queen Elizabeth's ascension to the throne in the '50s.

Season 4 of the historical drama ended in the late '80s, so season 5 will follow the royal family through the early to mid-'90s. This was a turbulent time for the royals – three of the Queen's four children separated from their partners in 1992, Windsor Castle caught fire, and Diana gave a now-infamous interview to the BBC's Panorama program in 1995 in which she famously referred to the "three people" in her marriage to Charles. How many of these events will be featured in the upcoming season, however, remains to be seen.

Dominic West takes over the role of Prince Charles in the series from Josh O'Connor, while Elizabeth Debicki is replacing Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in season 5. The Queen will be portrayed by Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce takes over as Prince Philip, while Lesley Manville is Princess Margaret, Jonny Lee Miller is Prime Minister John Major, and Khalid Abdalla is Dodi Fayed.