'The Crown' to halt filming of 6th season to mourn Queen Elizabeth
Olivia Colman (L) and Josh O'Connor film a scene for the Netflix drama "The Crown" at Caernarfon Castle, Nov. 18, 2018. (Reuters Photo)


Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Peter Morgan, the writer and creator of Netflix’s Emmy-winning drama "The Crown," revealed that the sixth season of the series will halt production to mourn the monarch.

Morgan, who also penned the 2006 film "The Queen," wrote in an email to Deadline that "The Crown" is a love letter to the queen. "I’ve nothing to add for now, just silence and respect. I expect we will stop filming out of respect too," he added.

Netflix has not yet released a statement.

Based on historical events, "The Crown" dramatizes the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that have shaped her reign. Since it began airing, the series has won 21 Emmy Awards so far, including outstanding drama series for its fourth season.

A still shot from "The Crown" shows Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II. (Via Netflix)
A still shot from "The Crown" shows Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II. (Via Netflix)

Three actresses have taken on the role of the queen in the series to date. While Claire Foy starred as Princess Elizabeth before her becoming monarch, Olivia Colman performed her early years as the queen. The fifth season of the series, which is set to air in November, will present Imelda Staunton in the role of the queen, seemingly focusing on the 1990s, leading up to Diana’s death in 1997.

Back in 2016 during the premiere of the show on Netflix, Stephen Daldry, another creator of the show and director of the initial episodes of the first season, said that the series would likely stop production for a respectable period of time in the case of the queen’s death.

Buckingham Palace said on Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a symbol of stability across much of a turbulent century, died peacefully at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence in Scotland, at the age of 96. After the palace released a statement noting concern for the royal’s health, members of the royal family rushed to be by her side.