Amid news of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s impending move to the U.K. from California, the rumor mill began buzzing with reports that the erstwhile “Suits” star was planning to restart her dormant acting career in Britain.
Specifically, those reports indicated she was in the running for a substantial role in the upcoming third season of “The Gentlemen,” the mega-hit Netflix crime drama produced by Guy Ritchie.
However, a subsequent report claimed that U.K. backlash over her casting led Netflix to backtrack on that plan.
Now, amid all that speculation and rumor, Netflix is finally breaking the silence to issue a statement regarding the royal’s participation in “The Gentlemen.”
A Cryptic Comment
Deadline reports that Manda Levin, Netflix’s scripted chief in the U.K., broached the subject while appearing at the Edinburgh Television Festival.
When asked point-blank whether Markle was indeed joining the cast, Levin offered a cryptic response.
“All bets are off,” she said, without offering any further information.
An Acting Comeback
Previously, The Hollywood Reporter set tongues wagging with a report that Markle was in “advanced discussions to join an existing Netflix TV show that shoots in the U.K.”
THR added, “The part is currently being written, so it’s unclear how many episodes she would appear in. Additional details were not immediately available.”
That was followed by a report from People indicating that the project in question was Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen.”
Then, News.com.au entertainment reporter Bronte Coy told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” that the offer for “The Gentlemen” had been instrumental in the couple’s decision to move back to London.
“This is such a key part of the puzzle,” she said. “I think when we all heard that news that Harry and Meghan were moving here, and within a matter of days, and the kids were enrolled in school, everyone was asking, what is Meghan going to be doing?”
Coy added that Markle’s role was “significant, and [Meghan’s] very excited about it.”
Reversal After Backlash
GettyHowever, a subsequent report claimed that that the potential Neflix role was now off the table.
The day after those reports emerged, Tina Brown, former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, dropped a bombshell via her Substack column.
“I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in Season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series ‘The Gentlemen’ has been withdrawn,” Brown wrote.
“The backlash in the U.K. was so intense, it became untenable to go forward,” Brown added, promising there would be more details to come. “This does not bode well for Meghan’s acting comeback in the U.K.”
‘The Gentlemen’ Returns
While the Duchess Sussex’s participation in “The Gentlemen” remains an open question, what isn’t up for debate is that the second season of the mega-hit Netflix series will be returning next week.
The first season — which racked up 100 million views — introduced viewers to Eddie Horniman, a.k.a. the Duke of Halstead (Theo James of “The White Lotus”), a former military operative who is now heir to his aristocratic family’s ancestral estate — and the lucrative marijuana empire secretly operating beneath it.
“Now, after joining forces with Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario) and her luxuriously incarcerated father, Bobby (Ray Winstone), Eddie is discovering that being a power player in the criminal underworld fits him like an immaculately tailored suit,” notes the synopsis for the second season.
“It’s been one year since Eddie and Susie joined forces to work together in Bobby’s criminal empire overseas,” the synopsis continues. “As they drive to expand their enterprise, the decisions Bobby is making seem to be increasingly unsound. Now Eddie and Susie must decide whether to take action or risk losing it all, but unfettered ambition never ends well…”
The second season of “The Gentlemen” premieres Thursday, September 3 on Netflix.
