The Gentlemen cast rumor around Meghan Markle got a blunt answer from Theo James. He said the talk was “mainly a lot of hot air,” while also saying the show is focused on getting attention on season two before season three happens soon.
The Gentlemen cast and Eddie
The 13th Duke of Halstead is the part James plays on screen, and he used it to answer the speculation directly. When asked about Meghan Markle joining the series, he joked, “Yes, Fergie is joining. She’ll be playing my love interest.”
That set up the pivot to the actual point: “No, I think that was mainly a lot of hot air,” he said of the Meghan Markle coverage. The remark strips the rumor down to its status as publicity chatter, not a casting announcement, and keeps the focus on the existing ensemble rather than a new name getting folded into the campaign.
Netflix and Manda Levin
During the Edinburgh TV Festival, Manda Levin took a looser line when asked about the same rumor. “All bets are off,” she said, which left the door open in tone even as James shut it in plain language. That split is the story’s real friction point: one side cools the speculation, the other refuses to close anything down.
Deadline had reported that Meghan Markle was in talks to join Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen for its third season, and the rumor also sat against the fact that Markle and Prince Harry have a first-look deal at Netflix. The business logic is obvious enough: once a cast rumor attaches to a returning series, it becomes part of the rollout whether the role exists or not.
Season two, then soon
James said, “At the moment, we’re just trying to get as many eyes on season two, and then season three will happen soon.” He also said the show has an overarching ambition to expand its world and go to different countries, with season two spending ample time in Italian aristocracy.
He added that he is interested in exploring the Middle East in season three and hopes it heads to the south of France. For now, the clean read is simple: the cast talk is noise around a show that wants viewers on season two first, while the next chapter is being framed as a broader, more international move rather than a single rumor-driven booking.
