Royal biographer Tina Brown now claims the Duchess of Sussex is no longer being considered for a role in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen.
Brown made the revelation on Saturday in her Fresh Hell Substack blog, as picked up later by multiple outlets including TMZ, the Hollywood Reporter and others. In it, the longtime media executive and entertainment-watcher Brown wrote this about Meghan Markle:
“I learned this morning that the casting of Meghan Markle in season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series ‘The Gentlemen’ has been withdrawn.”
Seriously?!
If that’s true, that’s definitely an abrupt about-face compared to just a couple days ago when Prince Harry‘s wife was apparently all-in on the project.
Related: Harry & Meghan Officially Moving Back To UK After Stepping Away From Royal Duties In 2020
And Brown says she learned of an alleged reason for the reported reversal, too — and it’s a surprising one. Brown wrote on her Substack blog:
“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.”
Yikes…
The claim comes after reports surfaced days ago that Markle was in early talks to appear in the third season of the British action-comedy series. If the casting had moved forward, it would have marked her first acting role since marrying Harry and becoming a member of the royal family in 2018.
Of course, who knows if this new report is legit or not. But Brown herself is certainly no stranger to royal info. The former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and the New Yorker is also the author of The Diana Chronicles and The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil. So, to say she is well-connected is an understatement!
Related: We Can’t Handle This Phone Call From Harry To Meghan On MasterChef Australia!
Anyway, since stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Meghan has pursued projects in entertainment, podcasting, lifestyle and philanthropy. She and Harry also signed a Netflix deal after relocating to California, producing the 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan, among other projects — even though they’ve had a heckuva time making their mark in Hollywood overall.
For now, Brown’s account remains a report, and neither Meghan nor Netflix has confirmed any alleged casting withdrawal.
Still, if true, this would be quite the plot twist for Meghan’s rumored acting comeback.
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[Image via Udo Salters/MEGA/WENN]
