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Plans for the phased rollout of “The Gentlemen” Season 2 had been in the works for months. Netflix’s Sept. 3 launch date was set with all the usual components in place for one of the streamer’s starry dramas: a trailer,
a Season 3 renewal announcement, a junket, a press conference and a red-carpet premiere at a historic London venue followed by a glamorous afterparty — the perfect place to celebrate the latest installment of Guy Ritchie’s high-octane series about dukes and drug dealers.
But in a case of life imitating art, the show’s entire publicity strategy was inadvertently wrecked by a real-life aristocrat, after reports leaked that Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was being eyed for a role in the series. Just days ahead of Netflix’s long-planned release of a full-length trailer for the new season, in tandem with an announcement the show had been renewed, the leak dominated the news cycle for 24 hours. Then came a new report claiming her role had been canned due to the “backlash.”
So what on Earth happened? And, more importantly, what’s actually true?
Early Friday morning, a little-known Australian royal reporter called Bronte Coy claimed during a segment on Sky News Australia that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex was planning to “return to acting” and it was partly for this reason she and husband Prince Harry were relocating to the U.K. While Coy was, well, coy on details about the supposed project — whether it was a film or a TV show, a cameo role or series regular — she was adamant “there is a role in the works,” and that Meghan was about to sign on.
As with anything related to Meghan and Harry, even the most gossamer threads of gossip quickly ignited, and news of Meghan’s mysterious new role spread across multiple continents. A few hours later, The Hollywood Reporter revealed the unnamed mystery project was at Netflix — despite Meghan and Harry’s rocky relationship with the streamer after the collapse of their reported $60 million deal — and was already in production in the U.K.
That story set off a new round of frantic guesswork, and the streamer’s staff — both past and present — were inundated with queries from journalists trying to get a steer on which project. Was Meghan, who has publicly shared her dislike of the nude pantyhose favored by British royals, willing to don a corset for “Bridgerton”? Or would she dust off one of her suits from “Suits” for a knowing cameo on “The Diplomat,” an entire series about the fraught relations between the U.S. and the U.K.? Or had Charlie Brooker lined up some canny stunt casting with a “Black Mirror” episode about a duchess in dystopia?
Forty minutes later, Deadline claimed to have the answer: Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen,” an edgy series about aristocrats and criminals running a cannabis empire together, in which Theo James plays a duke opposite Kaya Scodelario’s underworld heiress. Curiously, that story, published on Friday, claimed the show hadn’t yet been renewed for a third season. In fact, although news of the Season 3 renewal was only officially announced two days later,everyone working on the series knew it was well into pre-production with cameras set to roll imminently.
The real story behind Meghan’s potential appearance on the show, Variety has learned from a well-placed source with knowledge of the situation, is that it was an “incredibly nascent concept” — so nascent, it was hardly considered “real on any level.” Effectively, Ritchie threw out the duchess’ name while brainstorming ideas, well before the royal couple announced they were relocating back to the U.K. Meghan’s was just one of “a smorgasbord of names” Ritchie mentioned, says the source: there was certainly no suggestion of contracts about to be signed. The source was puzzled as to how Meghan had even heard about Ritchie’s suggestion unless she’d had direct conversations with him (if she did, the source wasn’t aware of them). The idea may also have been shared via their agents, since they’re both repped by WME.
Ritchie has often gone for unusual casting choices, giving former soccer player Vinnie Jones his first ever acting role in 1998’s “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” at a time when it was much harder for non-actors to cross over into film. Jones also stars in “The Gentlemen” as the Halstead groundskeeper.
This season, Ritchie has also cast “Love Island” U.K. host Maya Jama in her first ever dramatic role, playing a fixer for a Middle Eastern tycoon. (“He would be like, ‘Yeah, you’re doing well’ and reassure me, which was really nice,” Jama told Variety of working with the director earlier this year). And while there aren’t many Americans in “The Gentlemen,” Giancarlo Esposito returns in Season 2 as mysterious U.S. billionaire Stanley Johnston, who could well have a daughter around Meghan’s playable age.
Either way, no one in Meghan’s camp went out of their way to deny each report as it broke throughout Friday. Variety’s source suspects the story might even have been seeded by her reps — or further inflamed — given it helps acclimatize audiences to the idea of Meghan’s return to acting, not to mention signaling to producers she’s available. (On Sunday, The Times of London ran a story suggesting the “Gentlemen” story was “leaked to bolster her acting credentials.”) “I’m stunned if this isn’t coming from her [camp],” says Variety’s source.
So what to make of the subsequent claim on Saturday, published by former Vanity Fair editor and royals expert Tina Brown in her Substack newsletter, that the role had actually been offered and then withdrawn due to “backlash”? Well, Variety hears that’s not quite right either. If there is an offer, it’s not entirely dead. Scripts are still in the process of being written, so there could potentially be a role if Ritchie and co-writer Matthew Read want to make one work.
Variety’s source wasn’t aware of a “backlash” per se, although acknowledged that Megan is polarizing, particularly to British audiences. But that’s not necessarily a career-killer in Ritchie’s eyes. “I wouldn’t rule out it happening,” the source says of where things currently stand.
With Season 3 not likely to hit screens until 2028, Netflix is currently focused on getting through the launch of Season 2, which has now been somewhat overshadowed by all the rumors. “People are bummed,” the source acknowledges of the spotlight that’s shifted away from the show’s deserving cast and crew. Netflix publicists are preparing themselves for the fact that the upcoming junket, press conference and media line, all scheduled for next week, will probably be dominated by the duchess. On the bright side, it’s all publicity for the show.
As for Ritchie, “I’m sure he loves this on some level,” says the source wryly. “He loves mayhem.”
