The Crown bosses have cast Jonny Lee Miller as Prime Minister John Major.
In a ‘surprise’ casting, Netflix chiefs have revealed the Trainspotting star, 48, who is rumoured to have rekindled his romance with ex Angelina Jolie, will play the Tory Prime Minister, who was in charge of the country from November 1990 and May 1997.
He followed on from Margaret Thatcher’s leadership, with The Iron Lady played by Gillian Anderson in the wildly-popular Netflix period drama.
The Crown bosses have cast Jonny Lee Miller as Prime Minister John Major (pictured in 2012 drama Elementary)
Insiders told The Sun: ‘It may seem like an unlikely casting as the two men couldn’t be more different, but the creators of the Crown aren’t interested in an actor playing a version of themselves.
‘It was a similar idea to when Sex Education star Gillian Anderson was cast as Margaret Thatcher in the last series of The Crown, a decision which surprised fans of the show at the time.
‘But at 48, Jonny is actually the perfect age to play Sir John, who became PM at the age of 47 after Maggie was removed from power.’
Sir John was Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997, and served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary under Thatcher from 1987 to 1990.
Former PM: Sir John was Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997, and served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary under Thatcher from 1987 to 1990 (pictured in 2015)
Insiders told The Sun: ‘It may seem like an unlikely casting as the two men couldn’t be more different, but the creators of the Crown aren’t interested in an actor playing a version of themselves’
Major entered politics at a young age, standing as a young Conservative for Lambeth Council at the age of 21 and became chairman of the Housing Committee.
He then stood for Parliament twice in St Pancras from 1974 and lost, before winning in Huntingdonshire in 1979.
The politician became a minister in 1985 and became a part of the Cabinet in 1987 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury before being promoted to Foreign Secretary in 1989, and shortly after he was named Chancellor.
Major replaced Mrs Thatcher in 1990 after winning a leadership contest which she dropped out of.
Politician: Major replaced Mrs Thatcher in 1990 after winning a leadership contest which she dropped out of (pictured in 1990)
Mrs Thatcher had won a first ballot in the leadership contest, but failed to secure outright victory, and initially pledged to continue her bid.
But the majority of her cabinet members had told her she would not win, which Mr Major knew, and she later decided to step down.
He then pledged to ‘destroy’ his predecessor after believing she was critical of him following her departure, according to a book by former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore in 2019.
Major was known for having a mild-mannered style which may appear to be in stark contrast to Miller, who is known for playing bad boy characters like Sick Boy in Trainspotting.
Fans of the show were notably surprised by Miller’s casting announcement, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.
One person wrote: ‘Jonny Lee Miller – best known for playing Sick Boy in Trainspotting – will play Prime Minister Sir John Major in the fifth season of The Crown. Didn’t see that coming.. (sic)’
The announcement comes after it was revealed he has been reconnecting with ex Angelina following her visits to his Brooklyn-area apartment.
She has been staying at the ultra luxurious Carlyle Hotel overlooking Central Park while visiting New York with her children, where room prices begin at $700, with suites ranging thousands of dollars per night.
The Sun recently claimed that Miller has not only met Pax, 17, but also Jolie’s youngest son Knox, 12. Angelina shares custody of both kids with ex-husband Brad Pitt, in addition to Maddox, 19, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 15 and and Vivienne, 12
‘On her first evening with Jonny, Angelina only took Knox along, and they got on like a house on fire,’ a source told the outlet. ‘Knox is a sweet kid and I imagine she decided he was the easiest one to begin introductions with.’
And Pax was curious what Miller was like so he came the next evening.
They get along well: The announcement comes after it was revealed he has been reconnecting with ex Angelina following her visits to his Brooklyn-area apartment
‘She went back the next afternoon with Pax, who was curious to meet this guy she’s always spoken so fondly about,’ said the insider. ‘They only hung out for a short while at Jonny’s apartment, but they seemed to get along well.’
Last week, The Girl Interrupted star spent about three hours inside — where the pair reportedly enjoyed dinner — and was then spotted exiting the premise at 10:30pm.
They were married in 1996 after meeting on the set of their movie Hackers a year prior, but separated shortly after and officially divorced in 1999.
Back in March, it was reported that The Crown’s casting directors have begun looking for a sandy-haired pre-teen boy to play Prince William in the much-anticipated fifth series of the hit Netflix show.
Back then: He will play the Tory Prime Minister, who was in charge of the country from November 1990 and May 1997 (Major and his wife Norma in 1990)
Netflix is said to have already put out casting calls to hundreds of top schools and drama clubs for a youngster to play the future king as preparations to film the fifth series get underway.
A Netflix source told the Times that the hunt for the Duke of Cambridge was in its early days, while the search for his younger brother, Prince Harry, would begin at a later stage.
Casting director Nina Gold is said to be looking for youngsters between the ages of nine and 13 to play Prince William, who was played in the fourth series by Lucas Barber-Grant.
Netflix have reportedly put out casting calls to hundreds of top schools and drama clubs for a youngster to play Prince William (pictured in August 1995 with his parents and Prince Harry) in The Crown’s fifth series