'The Crown' news: Paul Bettany lined up to play Prince Philip in season 3
Netflix's original series "The Crown" is interested in hiring English actor Paul Bettany to portray Prince Philip in season 3. If all goes well for the show, Bettany might take a break from being Marvel's Vision and get his royalty on.
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The possibility of Bettany being part of the historical drama series started out as rumors. Said rumors were then confirmed by a Variety report suggesting the show is indeed looking to work with Bettany as Queen Elizabeth's husband Philip Mountbatten. The report generated mixed reactions from fans with most of them saying changing cast members is a mistake. However, there are those who are excited about the news and who have thrown their support for Bettany.
It was confirmed that "The Crown" will have a whole new cast for the third season to follow another timeline of Queen Elizabeth's life. English actress Olivia Colman will replace Claire Foy for the role of Queen Elizabeth. There are still no updates from showrunner Peter Morgan on who will take the place of Matt Smith to play Prince Philip.
Last year in November, Radio Times started a poll to allow netizens to choose among a selection of actors on who they prefer to take the role. Bettany was included on the list of choices, but he only came in second as top choice after former "Doctor Who" star David Tennant. Bettany's fellow Marvel star Benedict Cumberbatch was also thrown on the list, as well as Jude Law, Mark Strong, Tobias, Menzies, and Matthew Macfadyen.
Fans of the show are still waiting for further announcement if Bettany has already inked a contract with Netflix to play the role. Bettany is not the only one being linked to "The Crown's" third season. There are also rumors about Academy Award nominee Helena Bonham Carter playing Princess Margaret the next season.
Season 3 of "The Crown" is speculated to premiere in 2019. Netflix is yet to release further information about the upcoming season.