Netflix Sets 'The Crown' Season 3 And 'The Witcher' For Mid And Late 2019

Wondering when you'll get to see The Crown season 3, and also the Henry Cavill-starring adaptation of The Witcher? Good news: both will arrive later this year. While official dates haven't been revealed yet, the streaming service confirmed that The Crown season 3 premiere is set for sometime after July this year. The Witcher, meanwhile, will debut sometime in the last three months of 2019.

It's been a very long time since we had an audience with the Queen on Netflix's The Crown. The second season of the drama debuted on December 8, 2017, and season 3 has been nowhere in sight. Until now. During an investor call (via Deadline), the streaming service revealed that The Crown season 3 will ascend to the throne in the second half of 2019, sometime after July 1. While this isn't as exciting as an actual premiere date, it's good to know we'll get to see the season sometime this year.

The Crown will be a much different show when it returns for its third season. The entire original cast is gone, having been replaced with new cast members, including recent Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, who takes on the role of Elizabeth II. The reasoning behind the cast switch is that season 3 is meant to jump forward in time a bit, and show the principle players a bit older than we've seen them before. Sure, the producers could've slapped a lot of aging make-up on original star Claire Foy if they wanted to, but they decided to go this route instead. While I'll be sad to see the original cast go, more Olivia Colman is never a bad thing. Other cast members include Tobias Menzies, Ben Daniels, and Helena Bonham Carter. Season 3 will pick up with the royals in the mid-to-late '60s.

The Witcher, the Netflix adaptation of the book series of the same name, is also going to arrive before the year is out. Starring Henry Cavill and his glorious silver wig, the series will hit the streaming service sometime during the last three months of 2019. The series follows witchers – "hunters who develop supernatural abilities at a young age to battle deadly monsters."

Cavill stars as main character Geralt of Rivia. Here's the official synopsis: "Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together." Lauren Schmidt Hissrich serves as executive producer and showrunner. Having not read the Witcher books, or played the video games, I don't know much about this series. But I do know that Cavill and his big wig are probably going to generate a lot of memes. And isn't that what really matters these days? Memes aplenty!

Now if only Netflix would get around to revealing when Manhunter season 2 premieres...