Paul Bettany May Be the New Prince Philip on ‘The Crown’ (REPORT)

A new Prince Philip may be coming to London! Well, not literally. Just in the beloved Netflix show The Crown. Actor Paul Bettany is in talks to take over Matt Smith’s role for the series’ third season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The news outlet reports that Paul is close to signing a deal to join the show. Matt has played Philip in the first two seasons, but since the plot will take a time hop to the mid-60s, there has been recasting going on (the current cast will simply look too young to keep going!). We think Paul would be a great choice considering this, what do you think?

In a past interview, Matt hinted that he actually does know who will take over for him! “Well, I don’t know, I maybe know. I don’t know if I know. I’m not meant to know, but I maybe know,” he quipped on Late Night With Seth Meyers. “If it’s the person that it could be I was just totally flattered. I thought, ‘Oh I’m flattered.’” Many fans think that UK star David Tennant could also join the cast as Philip!

The recasting of roles like Queen Elizabeth and Princess Marget have already been confirmed, though. Earlier this month, actress Vanessa Kirby — who played Marg during Season 1 and Season 2 — seemingly confirmed via Instagram that Helena Bonham Carter will take over her role. She shared a fun Instagram photo of the two with the caption, “Honoured @thecrownnetflix.”

On top of that, Claire Foy — who has played Queen Elizabeth the past two seasons — will also be replaced with Olivia Coleman. “I always knew from the get-go that I was only going to be doing two [seasons]. I’m just very grateful that I have had such a wonderful time playing that part and made friends for life,” she said in a previous interview. And luckily, she approves of Olivia! “She’s great,” Claire once gushed to Jimmy Fallon. “You’ll forget all about me and the rest of the cast. You’ll be like, ‘Who are they?’ We’re the warm-up act.” We can’t wait to watch Season 3!