The Crown: Gillian Anderson Confirmed to Play Margaret Thatcher

The rumors are true!

Gillian Anderson has been added to the cast of The Crown as Maggie Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of Britain.

Don't expect to see Anderson in the forthcoming third season of the Netflix hit, however.

This news is valid for The Crown Season 4, which is already well into production, likely meaning there won't be as much of a wait between seasons this time around.

“I am so excited to be joining the cast and crew of The Crown and to have the opportunity to portray such a complicated and controversial woman,” Anderson said in a statement confirming the news.

“Thatcher was undoubtedly formidable but I am relishing exploring beneath the surface and, dare I say, falling in love with the icon who, whether loved or despised, defined an era.”

This new role means Anderson will be pulling double duty on two Netflix originals.

The actress is set to return to her series regular role of Jean Milburn on the forthcoming second season of Sex Education, a series which reportedly eclipsed 40 million viewers within four weeks of its launch earlier this year.

Related: The X-Files: Canceled?

Anderson is, of course, most well-known for her role on FOX's The X-Files in which she played FBI Agent Dana Scully.

The casting of Anderson for The Crown Season 4 comes months after it was announced that Emma Corrin is taking on the role of Lady Diana Spencer, better known as Princess Diana.

Before we get to the third season, however, we still have The Crown Season 3 coming up in November - almost two years after the release of Season 2.

And there will be some big changes. We're jumping ahead in time with a season that will span from 1964 to 1977, and the cast has been overhauled as a result of the new period the series is covering.