SEPT 9 UPDATE: A source at Netflix has confirmed that filming on The Crown is being temporarily suspended. They said: “As a mark of respect, filming on The Crown was suspended today. Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral.”
EARLIER STORY SEPT 8: Following the death Thursday of Queen Elizabeth II, Peter Morgan, writer of Netflix’s Emmy-winning drama The Crown, said that the series is “a love letter to her.”
More from Deadline
Morgan, who also penned the 2006 film The Queen, starring Helen Mirren, also revealed today in an email message that he expects production on Season 6 of The Crown “will stop filming out of respect” for a period of time.
Helen Mirren Reacts To Queen Elizabeth II’s Death: She Was “The Epitome Of Nobility”
He wrote that “The Crown is a love letter to her and I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect. I expect we will stop filming out of respect too.”
Netflix have long had plans in place should Queen Elizabeth die during its run.
When the show first went into production, Stephen Daldry, one of the architects of The Crown’s success and director of some of the initial episodes of the first season (it starred Claire Foy as the Queen when she was Princess Elizabeth before ascending to the throne), vowed that if the show was in production it would stop for a respectable period of time.
“None of us know when that time will come but it would be right and proper to show respect to the Queen. It would be a simple tribute and a mark of respect. She’s a global figure and it’s what we should do,” he told this writer back in 2016 when The Crown made its debut on Netflix.
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life In Photos
”She’s an extraordinary woman and people will be upset,” Daldry said at the time.
The Crown has had three actresses who have portrayed the Queen: Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton, whose reign is due to start on Netflix in November.
Morgan said he won’t be making a statement or further comment about the Queen’s death.
Queen Elizabeth II Has Died: What Comes Next?
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
