The Crown’s latest casting announcement has been revealed, sparking a lot of conversation on Twitter.
On Friday afternoon, the Netflix’s show’s official Twitter account revealed the show had found the actor set to portray former prime minister John Major in its upcoming fifth series.
Alongside a black-and-white photo, they confirmed: “Jonny Lee Miller will play John Major in the fifth season of The Crown.”
The casting caused quite a stir on Twitter, with many admitting they were feeling a little *ahem* conflicted about the Trainspotting star portraying the former PM:
The British-American actor is perhaps best known for his performance as Simon “Sick Boy” Williamson in Trainspotting, later reprising the character in the 2017 sequel T2 Trainspotting.
His other credits include the TV shows Dexter and Elementary, in which he played a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.
The fifth season of The Crown will pick up years after the events of its predecessor, opening the door to a brand new cast.
Imelda Staunton and the newly-appointed Sir Jonathan Pryce will play Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, taking over from Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies, while Elizabeth Debicki will succeed Emma Corrin as Princess Diana.
It’s been heavily rumoured that Dominic West will take over playing Prince Charles from Josh O’Connor, who recently won a Golden Globe for the role, while Lesley Manville will be portraying Princess Margaret.
Meanwhile, reports previously suggested that Fleabag star Andrew Scott was being eyed for the role of Tony Blair – which caused a similar reaction on social media to the Jonny Lee Miller announcement.