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The Crown: Netflix unveils the most expensive TV show ever made

Claire Foy stars as a young Queen Elizabeth II.

Claire Foy stars as a young Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: Netflix

Netflix has released the first trailer for its new big-budget original series The Crown, reportedly the most expensive television show ever made.

The 10-episode first season of the The Crown, which arrives on the streaming service from November 4, explores the early days of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

According to The Telegraph, the show had a budget of £100 million (roughly $US130 million) which, if true, would make it Netflix’s, and the television industry’s, biggest ever splurge.

That budget puts The Crown ahead of other big-hitters like HBO’s Game of Thrones, which cost approximately $US10 million an episode in its sixth season, totalling $US100 million for 10 episodes.

Netflix’s The Get Down, directed by Australian heavyweight Baz Luhrmann, was also pricey at around $US7.5 million per episode or $US120 million overall, according to Variety.

Netflix has refused to confirm its budget for The Crown, but at a conference this week in London its chief operating officer Ted Sarandos described the show as one of the company’s “brand-defining, tentpole shows”.

According to Variety, Sarandos said the show “is produced to a scale that I don’t think many networks could step up to”.

“Because our audience is large and global, and the story is incredibly local we can invest heavily in a project like that,” he said.

The Get Down was an expensive show and Baz Luhrmann’s films happen to work all over the world, which is great.”

Matt Smith plays Prince Philip. Photo: Netflix

Matt Smith plays Prince Philip. Photo: Netflix

The Crown stars 32-year-old British actress Claire Foy as a 25-year-old, newly-married Elizabeth, former Doctor Who star Matt Smith as Prince Phillip and John Lithgow as Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

A particularly uncanny casting is Vanessa Kirby as Elizabeth’s sister Princess Margaret.

Vanessa Kirby (right) is a dead ringer for Princess Margaret (right). Photo: Netflix/Getty

Vanessa Kirby (right) is a dead ringer for Princess Margaret (left). Photo: Netflix/Getty

The British royal family are apparently aware of the well-researched series and are “very nervous and very excited” about it, according to showrunner Peter Morgan, the writer responsible for acclaimed films like The Queen and Frost/Nixon.

“I think they don’t like not having control, but they also understand that [a drama] dealing with this subject with respect is a rare thing,” he said at a press conference following the release of the trailer.

Although the trailer is impressive, it’s not immediately clear just how much money went into the production.

However, speculation is that most of the budget went to costumes and set design in an effort to achieve a visually striking, historically accurate recreation of the second half of the 20th century.

Watch the sleek trailer for The Crown below:

Topics: Netflix
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