Netflix has locked in a sprawling new cast for “The Gentlemen” Season 3 while confirming one established star is out.
Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Robert Carlyle, Dexter Fletcher, Bruna Marquezine, Ed Speleers, Saffron Burrows and Bugzy Malone are all boarding the Guy Ritchie-created crime drama, the streamer announced Friday. The “Lord of the Rings” reunion between Bloom and Wood headlines the fresh faces joining Theo James’ Eddie Horniman in the British underworld.
Daniel Ings, 36, is departing after two seasons as Lord Frederick “Freddy” Horniman, the older brother to James’ lead character. The network confirmed his exit alongside the new additions.
Meghan Markle won’t be among the newcomers. The Duchess of Sussex, 45, had been the subject of months of casting speculation that began when Netflix boss Manda Levin offered a cryptic tease at the Edinburgh TV Festival in August. Asked whether the “Suits” alum might join the show, Levin replied: “All bets are off.”
That comment ignited widespread reports that Markle was eyeing a return to acting through Ritchie’s series, seven years after she left the profession upon her engagement to Prince Harry.
The following month, sources clarified that no formal offer had ever materialized. One insider said that Markle had misread early conversations as a firm commitment.
“She took it as an offer. And it wasn’t,” the source said. “And [she and husband Prince Harry] thought it would be helpful in the moment for there to be a reason for their move.”
Another source added that interest had been initiated by Ritchie, 58, himself, though the exchange never progressed to a concrete proposal.
Last week, a friend of Markle’s delivered a sharper assessment to the Telegraph, claiming Netflix had weaponized the speculation for promotional gain. The friend framed the summer’s buzz as a calculated marketing maneuver rather than genuine casting movement.
“It’s the oldest marketing trick in the book: get a big name to read a script, then leak that you’re ‘in conversation’ with them when, in reality, nothing is particularly far along,” the friend told the outlet.
The same confidant suggested the strategy had succeeded on Netflix’s terms while leaving the Sussexes displeased.
“The whole thing left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp’s mouth,” the friend continued. “Netflix got what it wanted: huge viewing figures for season two and a lot of publicity.”
Season 2 premiered on Sept. 3, riding the wave of attention generated by the Markle speculation.
Markle’s acting resume remains anchored by her seven-season run as Rachel Zane on USA Network’s “Suits” from 2011 to 2018. Her film credits include the 2010 Robert Pattinson drama “Remember Me” and the 2011 comedy “Horrible Bosses.” She stepped away from performing after her November 2017 engagement to Prince Harry was announced, with her final “Suits” episodes airing the following year.
More recently, she filmed a cameo in “Close Personal Films,” an upcoming comedy featuring Brie Larson, Lily Collins, Jack Quaid and Henry Golding.
The new casting announcements position “The Gentlemen” to expand its ensemble well beyond the Horniman family dynamics that anchored its first two seasons. Bloom and Wood, who shared the screen in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy more than two decades ago, represent the most prominent Hollywood names added to the British-leaning cast.
Carlyle, Fletcher and Speleers bring established UK screen credentials, while Marquezine, Burrows and Malone round out the international flavor of the incoming group.
Ritchie adapted “The Gentlemen” from his own 2019 film of the same name, which starred Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam and Colin Farrell in a marijuana empire power struggle. The Netflix series shifted focus to James’ Eddie Horniman, a British Army officer who unexpectedly inherits his father’s estate and discovers it sits atop a massive cannabis operation.
The first season debuted in March 2024 to strong viewership, establishing James’ aristocratic soldier as the anchor of Ritchie’s television expansion. Season 2 deepened the Horniman family tensions with Ings’ Freddy playing an increasingly prominent role before his confirmed departure.
Production on Season 3 is expected to begin in the coming months.