"The Crown" season 3 may have just found its new Prince Philip and he is an Avenger. Paul Bettany, best known as Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is reportedly in talks to play the older version of Queen Elizabeth II's husband.
According to Variety, the actor has been tapped to take on the role, which former "Doctor Who" star Matt Smith held for the show's first two seasons. Showrunners have already met with Bettany's team for the potential deal that requires a six-month commitment for the production of the third season.
Both Netflix and Sony Pictures Television declined to comment, but the likelihood of Bettany's involvement is fairly high considering the last negotiation immediately resulted in the official confirmation of Helena Bonham-Carter. As reported previously, the Harry Potter star will play an older Princess Margaret, replacing Vanessa Kirby. Prior to the announcement, Kirby all but confirmed the news on Instagram with a photo of her and her successor.
Bonham-Carter joins "Broadchurch" star Olivia Colman who will portray the new Queen Elizabeth. Both actresses have histories in being royalty on screen, with the latter having played the Queen Mother in the 2012 film "Hyde Park on the Hudson" and the former as the same character in the Oscar-winning movie "The King's Speech." Bettany, on the other hand, has yet to have a link to the on-screen royal family cannon, but he has notably portrayed Lord Melbourne, British prime minister and a mentor of Queen Victoria in "The Young Victoria."
The recast follows series creator Peter Morgan's desire to accurately reflect the age of the royal family members the cast portray. Picking up in the 1970s, "The Crown" season 3 is expected to follow the royal family into middle age as they grapple with both political and personal dramas under the weight of their titular crowns.
The show has yet to announce who would replace Victoria Hamilton as the Queen Mother, Jeremy Northam as Antony Eden, or Matthew Goode as Margaret's initial husband Tony Armstrong-Jones. No word on the show's return date either.
