'The Crown' Season 3: Gillian Anderson In Talks To Play Margaret Thatcher

In an essential casting for both Season 3 and 4, Gillian Anderson has been tipped to join The Crown as Margaret Thatcher.

From the beginning, The Crown planned to cover six decades of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, from her ascension to the throne in 1952 through to the new century. But not all decades of the Queen's rule have been equally riveting. Season 1 had the luck of Winston Churchill's final years as Prime Minister to carry what was basically a decade of a young Elizabeth finding her feet as a monarch. Season 2 was far more interesting, both personally because of the queen's decision to have two more children, and professionally, as she oversaw the bulk of the British Empire's collapse, and guided those former properties into "Commonwealths."

Season 3 does have its points of interest to come, including Charles' investiture and the disastrous choice on the part of his elders to block him from marrying Camilla. But in truth, most viewers will see this year as gearing up for the main event of Olivia Colman's two-season reign: The 1980s, in which Elizabeth's life was dominated by two women on opposite ends of the spectrum.

On the one side, there is Diana Spencer, who parlayed her princess feminity into popularity eclipsing that of the Crown, in a revenge play for the ages over how she was treated by both Charles and his family. She was viewed by many as the rightful person to replace the aging Elizabeth, and as the U.K.'s "real Queen." On the other, there is Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady, the first female Prime Minister, and a politician who lead a coalition including right-wing radicals who wanted to overthrow the monarchy. She was also viewed by many as the rightful person to replace the aging Elizabeth, and as the U.K.'s "real Queen."