“The Gentlemen”: at the premiere it was not the series that was discussed, but Meghan Markle

The second season of “The Gentlemen” started on Netflix in full regalia — red carpet, trailer, renewal for the third season. But journalists at the premiere on Wednesday were not interested in the plot about the criminal empire, but in the rumor that the Duchess of Sussex might appear in the cast.

The premiere that was stolen by rumors

Netflix had everything planned according to the notes: a high-profile release date, a spectacular trailer, an announcement of an extension and a party in a historic London mansion, reports xrust. And then reality once again outplayed the script — a few days before the premiere, information leaked that Meghan Markle was being cast for a role in Guy Ritchie’s series. And the entire press occasion instantly turned into a press conference about the duchess.

Leading actor Theo James admitted that he was rather intrigued by the rumors. “Breaking Bad” actor Giancarlo Esposito was more careful: a media person of this magnitude can be both a plus and a minus for the project. But Hugh Bonneville, known for “Downton Abbey,” simply called the version with Markle “a brilliant marketing move” and immediately joked that he himself suggested Keir Starmer for the role of Prime Minister — but he allegedly showed no interest.

Co-writer and executive producer Matthew Reed took a different approach: he recalled that Ritchie has a long-standing habit of inviting people from unexpected places into projects, and the scale of interest in potential actors just shows how attached viewers are to the series.

Plot: an inheritance that turned into the crown of the criminal world

“The Gentlemen” grew out of Ritchie’s 2019 film of the same name — then the crime comedy with Matthew McConaughey, Michelle Dockery and Hugh Grant grossed about 10 billion rubles at the global box office with a budget of about 1.9 billion. The series launched on Netflix in 2024 and almost immediately became one of the most viewed projects on the platform — according to some data, in the first month it was viewed about 44 million times.

The story centers on Eddie Horniman (Theo James), an army officer who unexpectedly inherits from his father not only the family estate, but also a sprawling cannabis empire. In the second season, which takes place a year after the events of the first, Eddie tries to expand his business and gets deeper and deeper into a world where laws are dictated not by the court, but by force.

James himself said that the new season explores the theme of centuries-old land ownership and what the enormous wealth that has fallen on one’s head leads to. “Horniman begins to understand that violence gives a sense of power — and is ready to use it to get what he wants,” he described the hero’s arc.

Filming of the new season partially took place on Lake Maggiore in Italy. In the story, Horniman teams up with Susie Glass, the heiress to a drug empire, and her father Bobby (Ray Winstone), who sees the newly-made lord as an ideal partner for a shady business.

Winston, for whom criminal roles have long been a trademark, explained the success of the series among viewers simply: it blurs the line between street crime and high society. “Who are gangsters really? A guy from the street — or is it a question of hierarchy, nobility? How do they even get there? — says the actor. According to him, the series, in a sense, turns the usual picture of the world upside down.

Who joined the cast

The second season brought noticeable additions to the series. The cast included the star of the erotic franchise “365 Days” Michele Morrone, actress Benedetta Porcaroli (“Leopard”) and British TV presenter Maya Jama. Joely Richardson, Sergio Castellitto and musician Benjamin Clementine were also previously reported to join.

James said with a laugh that newcomers have to be “instructed” before filming — warned about Richie’s unconventional directorial style. “We always say: imagine you have a script, now burn it, because you won’t say any of these lines anyway,” the actor shared.

Bonneville, for whom «The Gentlemen» was a new experience, described the atmosphere on set as «extraordinary and a little crazy,» and Esposito added that there was a real sense of «danger» in the project. “Well, this is show business — and that’s wonderful,” he concluded.

Meghan Markle and “The Gentlemen”: where did this rumor come from

The story with Markle has been going on for several weeks. At the end of August, reports appeared that the Duchess of Sussex was in negotiations to participate in the third season of “The Gentlemen” — the same one that was announced literally on the day the second premiered. The timing was spectacular: the rumor surfaced almost immediately after Meghan and Prince Harry announced plans to return permanently to the UK.

According to Western media, the role in question was described as a “fatal temptress” who spins intrigue around one of the aristocrats of the series, and the fee was estimated at about 1 million pounds — that’s about 117 million rubles at the current exchange rate. Sources, however, emphasized that negotiations are at a very early stage, a specific role has not been confirmed, and the third season itself had not yet been officially renewed at the time of the leak.

For Markle, a role in “The Gentlemen” would be a full-fledged comeback to the acting profession — she has not acted since 2017, when she announced her engagement to Prince Harry and left the series “Suits.”

“Total nonsense”: what really happened

class=»notranslate»>__GTAG7__Then the plot twisted more clearly than in the series itself. Former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker Tina Brown wrote in her column that Markle's casting for the third season was canceled — allegedly under pressure from too strong a negative reaction in Britain. According to her, this decision does not bode well for the Duchess’s acting ambitions in her homeland.

But just a few days later, royal columnist and podcast host Jay Jay Anisiobi publicly called this version “total nonsense.” According to him, there is no role in the third season in principle — the negotiations in question began two years ago at the initiative of Megan’s entourage, then Richie only threw out a few draft ideas for characters, and since then the dialogue has remained at the “what if” level. That is, there was simply nothing to cancel formally.

Representatives of Netflix and Markle herself traditionally refused to comment on this entire story.

What's next

While the public is wondering whether the role of the Duchess is real, the fact remains: the second season of “The Gentlemen” was released on Netflix on September 3, and the platform has already confirmed the third season — the same one around which all the fuss flared up. So the question of whether Meghan Markle will appear in the frame next to Theo James and Kaya Scodelario will most likely receive an answer more than once — and it is not a fact that this round of rumors will be the last.

Sources:
variety.com
deadline.com
hollywoodreporter.com

Xrust “The Gentlemen”: at the premiere they discussed not the series, but Meghan Markle