Meghan Markle’s reported discussions to join the cast of Netflix’s The Gentlemen for its third season have stalled amid intense U.K. backlash, according to media reports. The Duchess of Sussex, 45, was eyed for a role in the U.K.-filmed crime series.
Meghan Markle may not be appearing in the third season of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen after all. This week, reports that the Duchess of Sussex was considering a return to acting in the Netflix series sparked waves of backlash in the U.K.
Casting Talks and the Netflix Connection
Meghan Markle is reportedly dropped from Netflix series after
Discussions regarding Meghan Markle’s potential return to acting surfaced when a report started circulating Friday morning that she had been offered a role in an upcoming project based in the U.K. The former Suits star was in talks to join Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen for Season 3, according to exclusive industry reporting. Sources cautioned that the conversations were in early stages and are hypothetical at this point because The Gentlemen, starring Theo James, has not been renewed for a third season yet, though that is considered likely; its second season premieres Sept. 3. Additionally, no role has been identified so far. Representatives for Netflix and Markle declined comment.
According to Variety, Meghan was in discussions to join the third installment of the series, starring Theo James and Kaya Scodelario, which films in the U.K. The show is a spin-off of Guy Ritchie’s popular 2019 crime comedy movie of the same name, which starred Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam and Colin Farrell. In Season 2 of The Gentlemen, set in the same world as Ritchie’s 2019 Miramax film, it’s been one year since Eddie and Susie joined forces to work together in Bobby’s criminal empire overseas. As they drive to expand their enterprise, the decisions Bobby is making seem to be increasingly unsound, and Eddie and Susie must decide whether to take action or risk losing it all. The series is created by Ritchie, who serves as writer alongside Matthew Read, while Ritchie and Eran Creevy direct. The series is executive produced by Ritchie, Will Gould, Read, Frith Tiplady, Simon Crawford Collins for Moonage Pictures and Ivan Atkinson.
The potential casting would connect the Duchess to an established franchise that films in the United Kingdom, aligning with a broader family transition. While it’s unclear whether the talks would lead to a deal, Markle getting a showy part on The Gentlemen would bring a lot of attention to the show and potentially new viewers. Furthermore, it stays within the family, as Markle and Prince Harry have a first-look deal at Netflix, where they have projects in development across film and TV.
Meghan Markle Eyed For Role In 'The Gentlemen' On
Backlash Reports and Denials
Word of the potential acting gig quickly generated friction across the Atlantic. Former Vanity Fair and New York Magazine editor-in-chief Tina Brown claims the decision to cast Meghan in the drama has been reversed. In a column published Saturday on Substack, Brown — who is the author of two books about the Royal Family — wrote:
“I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn. The backlash in the UK was so intense, it became untenable to go forward. This does not bode well for Meghan’s acting comeback in the UK.”
Tina Brown, author and former editor-in-chief
The Independent has reached out to Netflix, Meghan and Ritchie for comment. The Hollywood Reporter also reached out to Markle’s representative and WME, which represents both Markle and Ritchie, and did not receive a response, though THR reached out to Brown, who said she stands by her reporting. Netflix declined to comment.
Meghan Markle Dropped From 'The Gentlemen,' Her Team Denies
Weighing the Acting Comeback Against a U.K. Return
The discussions around The Gentlemen arrived alongside an announcement that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be moving back to the U.K. with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who are both enrolled in British schools, six years after they came to the U.S. Brown reported that the upcoming move across the pond was partly inspired by these developments, noting that the potential acting role was a significant factor in the decision.
Meghan Markle’s potential role in The Gentlemen would have marked the Suits star’s return to acting after she stepped away from the profession in 2017 when she got engaged to Prince Harry, following her time on the legal drama. Since the duo’s relocation to the U.S. in 2020, they have done the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan and With Love, Meghan under their deal there, with Markle also hosting the Archetypes podcast. She recently did a guest appearance on MasterChef Australia, and it was announced last year that she was doing a cameo in the Amazon MGM Studios movie Close Personal Friends. Additionally, Netflix announced earlier this year that it was exiting Markle’s lifestyle brand.
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