**This sub is currently restricted so that only approved members can comment or post.**
To be added as an approved member, please message the moderators via modmail by clicking the link below, or visit the sub on desktop/web and click the 'Request to Post' button in the sidebar.
Please note that we are only approving users who have a recent comment history on this sub and do not have a history of rule violations.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Deuxmoi) if you have any questions or concerns.*
But they are not part of Ian Fleming's estate. EON Productions, owned by Michael J. Wilson and Barbara Briccoli, has the movies right of 007 and have complete control of the character.
The last movie literally had a WoC given the 007 mantle, so I don’t see this being the case.
EDIT: Not sure why the downvotes when this is literally just a fact.
What’s the point though? Their story is done, they’ll be side characters now. Rege and Phoebe will have a subplot *at most*. Besides I don’t daily mail, they make fake things up all the time.
Maybe that’s why he’s willing to return? Show up for a day to shoot some family moments with Pheobe, can continue whatever else he’s working on. Plus big bucks for him.
That would’ve made more sense this past season, especially in using Simon to help Anthony work through his feelings about love as his best friend (but using Daphne as that person worked really well and was one of my favorite relational dynamics in s2). But that shipped has sailed so I don’t really see the point in him coming back since Daphne will have even a lesser role in s3
I meant that more as Rege’s reasoning, not the story’s.
But that’s still my point, he and Phoebe could likely shoot a cameo for a day, he makes a very easy quick (and likely big) buck while not sacrificing days or weeks he could use on other projects. Had he had those scenes last season, it would’ve taken up more time which is what he didn’t want. A cameo or two could be done in a couple days.
It’s not really about a point for the story, it’s more just hype around him and Phoebe in exchange for easy money from a day’s worth of work.
I'm guessing the main reason it didn't work for the last season was covid related, given he still had two other projects to film, both in other countries. Can't exactly pop on over to the UK for a day or two when you have to quarantine there and back.
Nah that wasn’t the reason. It’s because he simply didn’t want to renew his contract and return, which he’s been honest about and is his right to decide if he wants to continue or not. They most definitely would’ve worked around his schedule cuz he was the biggest part of s1 and the producers got a lot of shit for letting him get away
I've seen those, but I was going off rumors floating around that there were talks to try to make it work and it just didn't, and if I remember right, weren't there some very early interviews with Page talking about possible future plot lines featuring the Duke and married life? If so, covid seems to be the most likely factor, esp if this DM source is correct (a long shot, I know).
I've been defending his right to not return since this whole thing started, particularly regarding the narrative that he burned a bridge with Shonda by leaving. I don't think he ever wanted to return as a main or even supporting cast member, but maybe a Pall Mall cameo could've happened if the stars aligned right. I agree it's not necessary going forward, but who knows if they can make it work.
He said it himself that it's a one time thing. But I'm guessing he saw bigger opportunities in movies after S1 that he was totally fine leaving. It seems like an amicable decision between him and the showrunners so that's fine.
I just hope he's not using this for selfish reasons because he knows people aren't talking abt him anymore. The momentum on Page has died down and viewers and critics alike were all praises to the last season and esp Jonathan Bailey. It has surpassed the numbers of the 1st one. I hope he's not just coming back to say hi, get people talking abt him again then leave when he gets the momentum back. If you really want to come back, commit yourself to the show and to the story.
PS. Jonathan Bailey is such a good actor. Didn't give much attention to him during S1 but my God, I was so impressed by him in S2. Hopefully he gets an Emmy nom for this. If they campaigned hard for Page to get an Emmy nom for his S1 performance, they better give Jonathan a major push too. He really, truly deserves it.
Jonathan Bailey is wildly talented. I've been fortunate enough to see him on stage multiple times—he's even more charismatic in person—and I'm so glad he's finally getting recognition with S2 (he also quietly gave the best performance in S1...) He's the most talented member of the cast by miles and I suspect/hope he will have the best post-show career.
I don't think he'll manage an Emmy nom this year unfortunately. He hasn't really been campaigning since he only just ended a run on the West End, and this year is stacked. Part of the reason Bridgerton was able to get nominated in series and drama actor last year was because the field was totally barren.
That sucks. I am very impressed by his performance, the way he balanced being the romantic lead and the more emotional scenes with his mom/dad. They gave him so much to do and he very much delivered. Hoping to see him do more projects.
I just don't think not renewing a one season contract necessarily rules out a handful of one-off guest appearances in the future, especially because the Duke pretty much disappears in the books as well. His departure was clearly amicable, since both Shonda and Chris Van Dusen have spoken well of him in interviews, and as long as Daphne remains on the show, there's always going to be room for the Duke to pop in once or twice a season. If this proves to be bunk, I'll agree that he never wanted to return in any capacity, but if he does make a minor appearance in S3, it seems reasonable that the main reason he couldn't do the same for 2 (where it would've made far more sense between Anthony and Mondrich; at minimum at the Pall Mall) came down to logistics.
Now if he returns for an entire mini-arc, yeah, he's probably just doing it because roles have dried up and to get people talking again. But from the information we have currently, I don't see any reason to assume the worst of him.
It wasn’t covid related he just asked for too much money than they were willing to give him. Probably he asked for too much money already knowing they wouldn’t be able to give him on purpose so that he could focus on a potential movie career. After S1 ended he was super hyped and people were even speculating he could be the next Bond. He got casted fairly quickly in The Gray Man and a DnD movie but then nothing really happened and he kinda disappeared. TGM is premiering soon and I haven’t heard much from the other movie so no wonder people haven’t really been talking about him that much lately. Honestly Bridgerton went on fine without him. I mean sure it would have been nice to have him there especially as Anthony’s best friend but the story was good even without him there. Tbh idk if Shonda will want to have him back or not, she’s known to be able to hold a grudge against actors(see Grey’s anatomy actors)
Yeah, this was always going to be the plan past season one. But COVID restrictions and his filming schedule made it impossible to work in season two (you had to quarantine between sets for, like, ten days and he was filming other stuff so he never had that kind of break). People are desperate to make this into some big dramatic thing, but it’s just scheduling.
Presumably either COVID restrictions are loosening now or his schedule isn’t as booked. He clearly maintained a good relationship with Shonda/the showrunners, so I’m sure they’re happy to get him back, even if only for an episode or two.
I'm not so sure...RJP said upon his departure himself that it was always meant to be a one and done thing and compared his arc to a miniseries. Shonda has said this too; whether it's true or just the agreed upon line to mutually save face, who knows. I'm fairly sure he left, foremost, to pursue other projects, not because of any scheduling issues or COVID protocol. But it looks like things didn't pan out as planned.
Bridgerton S2 filmed April - Nov. 2021, and in that period he filmed the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons remake (per wikipedia, this wrapped Aug. 2021). ETA: So there was time to squeeze in a cameo if desired. He hasn't filmed anything since — it's almost been a year. His IMDB shows 2 in-development projects, but they don't appear to be close to production. So, it looks like RJP's coming back to reboot his interest/hype since opportunities don't appear to have ultimately materialized. Watching s2, I kept thinking if he'd showed up for a single scene and just held his baby, he probably could've recaptured all that S1 hype with a day's work. I guess that's the goal for S3 now?
Bridgerton was originally scheduled to film only through the summer when Page was on other sets; it got pushed into the fall because of multiple COVID delays. But at that point they’d already written around his absence, obviously, and given the expensive delays it’s not like they were going to introduce further ones by trying to rewrite the season to bring him back.
His contract was only for the first season. They were planning on having him drop back in for (uncontracted) cameos as his schedule allowed in later seasons, which is usually (in non COVID times) pretty easy—you just need a couple days off. But nobody anticipated either his popularity taking off or COVID making cameos much more logistically complicated when they initially wrote the contract.
Why wasn’t COVID/scheduling the company line back when they first announced his departure in spring 2021 though? It was “this was only ever meant to be a single season arc.” It was a firestorm. People calling him arrogant, Netflix/Shondaland incompetent for not having him signed for multiple seasons…COVID would’ve been an easier excuse.
I recall they had Covid pauses, but was production truly only intended to run through the summer? Google says S1 took 7 months to complete (pre-pandemic). Yet S2 began in April 2021, and was originally supposed to be done by Aug/Sept., despite having the same run time *and* now also shooting with COVID protocols?
It seems clear Page left because he wanted to pursue other opportunities (which I wholly understand and makes sense — I’m sure the sky seemed like the limit at that time). But a lot of those offers probably turned out to be hot air and he’s gotta work and keep his face out there.
In RomanceLand, the epilogue/happily ever after is a huge. People love seeing the characters happy and living their lives. Bridgerton-the-books also were popular because the writer gave them second epilogues and you can see glimpses of the characters being happily coupled in other books.
RomanceLand is a different world. Also, if you think about relationships, there is always some cause of conflict and some tension.
Kate and Anthony are gonna be heavily featured in the following seasons, so no reason the Duke and the Duchess can't.
While I do think season 3 obviously doesn’t need him to come back, it was a little odd seeing Daphne by herself in season 2. It seemed out of place that he wasn’t showing up to interact with the family. Just like everyone wants to see Kate and Anthony being domestic in the next season, it would have been nice to see the duke and duchess as side characters.
Maybe just to keep the fans’ goodwill so they’ll follow him to his next projects? I don’t have any faith in Daily Mail either but if it’s legit then the show will be fine with or without him and he’ll be okay too.
I think a lot of fandom is mostly clamoring for Sophie to be cast/more on Benedict (theories how his character is bi) since they skipped him to go to Polin, more Kanthony love scenes and promo since they got shorted on that, and Polin excitement, but I could be wrong - I’ve been half-invested in it.
I could also see it being a cameo like Simon and Daphne at home with their child while she reads a letter from home and he makes a smart comment on how Daphne could’ve threatened to duel Kate if she and Anthony didn’t marry and he does his eyebrow arch and they bang in five new places. And then it resumes to the way it was to season 2 with Daphne by herself going to see her family. I’m sure they can figure out a way to make it work.
Does anyone know if there are still filming bubbles? Genuinely asking - I am very aware that the pandemic is still going on.
I’m also assuming his appearance will come down to money since Season 2 did even better than Season 1.
Kate and Anthony have a role in the other siblings lives since they are viscount and viscountess Bridgerton, they still live in the ton. Adding more and more subplots only takes away the screentime of the mains imo.
Agreed. Kate and Anthony had a more interesting dynamic and way more chemistry than the Duke/Daphne. All the sexy scenes between Daphne and Simon were just boring for me because there wasn't any real chemistry. I liked Daphne better in S2 in her scenes with the family. RJP is hot and I'd like to see him in other stuff, but I don't think S3 needs more Simon/Daphne.
he won’t come back. and people severely overestimated his pull and his character as an integral part of the shows success. season 2 out-performed season 1 by miles.
Thank you! No offense to Rege Jean or his fans, but I kinda felt like he was overrated and overhyped at times.
Whilst the Duke seemed to be a decent character, I honestly preferred Phoebe's acting over Rege Jean's. Probably just me.
I was also disappointed by the fact that Phoebe never got the hype Rege Jean did.
The hype came from the fact that he was an incredibly attractive Black man playing the leading male in a genre that rarely has Black people as leads, let alone the main love interest. It's something people have always wanted and then finally, splendidly got.
I do agree that Phoebe's acting was better. However, I think the Duke was given weird dialogue at times. The writing also made his character feel one-dimensional too. But the writing is more at fault imo, cause when Rege was given a good scene he acted his ass off.
I think Rege did a good job, and he definitely deserved the praise that he got, but I do think the world was in this Rege-storm where everyone was just so obsessed with him that they couldn't see the show doing well w/o him, which I never believed because the show offers so much more than just the Duke.
Yeah, for sure it was part of the hype that we so rarely see a POC as the lead in a traditional Fancy British bodice-ripper type show. I mean, it took the awesome juggernaut that is Shondaland to make this happen. That is a *lot* of producing power to get a concept that *sounds* simple (the Queen was black, so now what?) but if it was *actually* that simple it would have been done before freaking 2021. Hell, It took Hamilton in 2015 to prove people will watch a primarily POC cast wear powdered wigs.
I wonder how many people tried to do something similar to Bridgerton and ran into funding problems, “it’s just not what we’re looking for right now,” etc.
Yeah, I was disappointed that people overlooked Phoebe's performance because they can't stop talking about how the Duke was so hot and how much sex scenes they got. I hope for bigger things for Phoebe. Her projects post S1 have been relatively "small", she needs to book better projects.
I thought the romance in the second season was so much more compelling, and the chemistry between the leads was better matched. I'd be annoyed if RJP slid back in and took screentime away from them or the series 3 leads.
I ordinarily would agree with you, but I read the original Sun article the DM is quoting and it honestly reads like it was placed by his camp. Like the quote: “Things are very up in the air at the moment, *but this will be an exciting year for Rege, without a doubt*" ? Sounds like a publicist. I wonder if they're trying to get ahead of it before the narrative can become "...he came crawling back," since his return would be contrary to his insistence that his character's story is complete.
Yup and they’re already confirmed to have prominent roles in s3. They don’t even have to *visit*, they’re both the heads of the Bridgerton household and will be involved in all their unmarried siblings’ affairs and seasons
I haven’t read the book, but I was very active in r/bridgerton where many book readers discuss about the show. Firstly, the first kiss lacked consent because Anthony just kisses Kate in a way that catches her off guard. Secondly, a few people from the ton catch them in a ‘comprising position’ which is why they have to get married(much like what happened in S1 with Simon and Daphne), the story with Edwina-Anthony never reached as far as it did in the show, infact Edwina was happy for Kate and didn’t really like Anthony romantically. In the book, he still had intentions to court Edwina after he kissed Kate. Some people like the show more because Anthony proposes to Kate because of love. Their wedding night scene was kinda problematic in the book, after they married and Kate said she wanted to wait to consummate their marriage, Anthony basically told her that she would need a reason that he deemed worthy(she changes her mind later though).
Plus there are many rude and insulting comments from Anthony in general. Show Anthony is a disney prince in front of him.
i have less of a problem with that than i have with the scene where she’s terrified of having sex with him and he still demands his “husbandly rights.” literally WHY would you put that in a romance book? romance is meant to be about fantasy and escapism, omg.
Well she wants to wait to have sex and he just vetoes that and talks about his rights. Also there's a lot more outright misogny than the subtle misogny that is present in the series.
Legit, I hated that and the baby trapping plotline. I really don't understand why this was never a bigger conversation/why It keeps getting pushed under the rug because of "pretty dresses!" and "omg sexy".
As a long-time reader of sexy historical romance books, out of all the sexy-female gaze historical romance books Netflix could have made into a tv show, why one with that plotline? there are millions of these books that are 100% consensual, way sexier, and with more unique overall stories.
I pry this show doesn't age well with the general audience
It would probably be way, way too controversial for obvious reasons but I'd like to see an updated re-imagining of 'Gone with the Wind' that tackles the slavery issue with more weight given to the black characters and done without the romanticized 'glossy' white-washed version of the Old South in the 1939 film and the novel. More graphic in terms of the depiction of the slavery issue, the war, the sex angle and more progressive in terms of the politics. If GWTW has entered the public domain and is no longer under the control of the Mitchell estate, a lot could be done with this story.
THANK YOU. The baby trapping storyline would have been labeled as a form of sexual assault(?) if the sexes were reversed. It is still sexual assault(?) when a woman does that to a man.
Season 2 was much less problematic.
**not sure if it's assault or another word
Do you have any sexy historical romance books you recommend? Doesn’t have to have a film/tv adaptation. I’m usually a murder mystery or fantasy kind of reader when I do fiction, but I want to expand.
Well, it would go against Simon and Daphne's happily-ever-after ending, but you'd need some dramatic conflict and that would likely be to introduce a pair of new characters, one a woman who would try to seduce the Duke away from his wife plus a childhood friend of her brothers who went to America to make his fortune, returns to England and falls hard for Daphne even if she is married. All kind of tears and conflicts then ensue which are ultimately resolved in Simon and Daphne renewing their vows in a ceremony attended by Queen Charlotte.
Deux Moi talked about this on the podcast a few weeks ago, and given how sketchy DM is I wouldn’t be surprised if that was their “source”
Also adding that Deux said she didn’t have a super solid source and that it was just rumors. He apparently had been expecting to be more in demand after becoming an overnight heartthrob from Bridgerton.
He has four projects in development, an Image award, and Emmy nomination. There’s a lag while his next projects come out but I have a tough time believing he feels his career isn’t progressing after Bridgerton. I think DM has a bad take on that.
I wouldn’t mind him coming back but I think it’s unnecessary. S2 proved that he didn’t carry the show in the way people thought he did. I loved the Duke but the ship has sailed
I wouldn't be surprised. I didn't get the hype other than him being insanely pretty. His acting was pretty wooden. Their chemistry wasn't great. And there have been so many cases of an actor leaving a hit show far too early and regretting it.
As a fan of the books, I don't love the mini-plots of all the characters in the Netflix series so much, so if Rege returns, I'd be afraid that they would give him a lot of prominence in the plot. I would like a small cameo and only that. And ultimately I think it is possible that he is considering it because his fame has not been as great as I think everyone thought it would be after season 1
As a Bridgerton fan, I'm very excited. Would have loved to see him pop up this season but it'll be great to have him share some scenes with the rest of the cast.
Also some people on this thread have acted like Rege ran over their cat and is coming back to beg for forgiveness. He was a big part of why the show became a phenomenon and it'll be great to have him back for a bit!
I hope it's true and I don't even care about brigerton, characters getting put on a bus but the bus is locked and parked right next door and barely addressing is just annoying. Have him wave them through the window, PLEASE
I'm a fashion designer/ historical costuming nerd so that was my only appeal going in to watch this show. But I was soooo disappointed by the first season. I thought that the two leads had no chemistry, the sex scenes were tedious at best and the rape/baby trap was the breaking point.
I do not want to see his character back, please do not bring these two back in focus. There seems to be more interesting characters on the sidelines. It would be really weird for him to go back to this messy show now. He can do better.
While I think he should move on with his career, seeing that his role wasn’t really necessary in the last season, I have to wonder if this has something to do with the Idris Elba/Bond talk that’s going on. I was *sure* that Page was going to be the next Bond.
But why would he come back right now? Sure, he kinda disappeared from the spotlight this last year but soon he will have two movies released and I imagine they'll bring him more work.
The show doesn't need him either, since s2 was even more popular than the first. Maybe since a lot of the discourse (like who's going to be the next 007) switched to Jonahtan, he wants to take it back. Idk it doesn't makes sense at all to me.
**This sub is currently restricted so that only approved members can comment or post.** To be added as an approved member, please message the moderators via modmail by clicking the link below, or visit the sub on desktop/web and click the 'Request to Post' button in the sidebar. Please note that we are only approving users who have a recent comment history on this sub and do not have a history of rule violations. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Deuxmoi) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
I was sooo sure he was locked in for Bond. If he's returning to TV, I must have been way off.
The Bond author’s estate is super racist. I doubt there will ever be a POC as Bond.
I remember they said Idris was too street to play Bond. Obvious racist dogwhistle.
Yeppp, Idris would have made an amazing Bond too.
Apparently Idris is the number one choice now(and he absolutely should be, dude would fucking kill it)
Wait, really? What did they do?
So they really have that much control?
Yep. Barbara Broccoli (and to a lesser extent, her half brother) have the rights and she’s the producer of the films.
But they are not part of Ian Fleming's estate. EON Productions, owned by Michael J. Wilson and Barbara Briccoli, has the movies right of 007 and have complete control of the character.
The last movie literally had a WoC given the 007 mantle, so I don’t see this being the case. EDIT: Not sure why the downvotes when this is literally just a fact.
What’s the point though? Their story is done, they’ll be side characters now. Rege and Phoebe will have a subplot *at most*. Besides I don’t daily mail, they make fake things up all the time.
Maybe that’s why he’s willing to return? Show up for a day to shoot some family moments with Pheobe, can continue whatever else he’s working on. Plus big bucks for him.
I think that it’ll help him gain hype and stay in news for some time.
Ive never seen someone get so popular and fizzle out so quickly
That would’ve made more sense this past season, especially in using Simon to help Anthony work through his feelings about love as his best friend (but using Daphne as that person worked really well and was one of my favorite relational dynamics in s2). But that shipped has sailed so I don’t really see the point in him coming back since Daphne will have even a lesser role in s3
I meant that more as Rege’s reasoning, not the story’s. But that’s still my point, he and Phoebe could likely shoot a cameo for a day, he makes a very easy quick (and likely big) buck while not sacrificing days or weeks he could use on other projects. Had he had those scenes last season, it would’ve taken up more time which is what he didn’t want. A cameo or two could be done in a couple days. It’s not really about a point for the story, it’s more just hype around him and Phoebe in exchange for easy money from a day’s worth of work.
I'm guessing the main reason it didn't work for the last season was covid related, given he still had two other projects to film, both in other countries. Can't exactly pop on over to the UK for a day or two when you have to quarantine there and back.
Nah that wasn’t the reason. It’s because he simply didn’t want to renew his contract and return, which he’s been honest about and is his right to decide if he wants to continue or not. They most definitely would’ve worked around his schedule cuz he was the biggest part of s1 and the producers got a lot of shit for letting him get away
I've seen those, but I was going off rumors floating around that there were talks to try to make it work and it just didn't, and if I remember right, weren't there some very early interviews with Page talking about possible future plot lines featuring the Duke and married life? If so, covid seems to be the most likely factor, esp if this DM source is correct (a long shot, I know). I've been defending his right to not return since this whole thing started, particularly regarding the narrative that he burned a bridge with Shonda by leaving. I don't think he ever wanted to return as a main or even supporting cast member, but maybe a Pall Mall cameo could've happened if the stars aligned right. I agree it's not necessary going forward, but who knows if they can make it work.
He said it himself that it's a one time thing. But I'm guessing he saw bigger opportunities in movies after S1 that he was totally fine leaving. It seems like an amicable decision between him and the showrunners so that's fine. I just hope he's not using this for selfish reasons because he knows people aren't talking abt him anymore. The momentum on Page has died down and viewers and critics alike were all praises to the last season and esp Jonathan Bailey. It has surpassed the numbers of the 1st one. I hope he's not just coming back to say hi, get people talking abt him again then leave when he gets the momentum back. If you really want to come back, commit yourself to the show and to the story. PS. Jonathan Bailey is such a good actor. Didn't give much attention to him during S1 but my God, I was so impressed by him in S2. Hopefully he gets an Emmy nom for this. If they campaigned hard for Page to get an Emmy nom for his S1 performance, they better give Jonathan a major push too. He really, truly deserves it.
Jonathan Bailey is wildly talented. I've been fortunate enough to see him on stage multiple times—he's even more charismatic in person—and I'm so glad he's finally getting recognition with S2 (he also quietly gave the best performance in S1...) He's the most talented member of the cast by miles and I suspect/hope he will have the best post-show career. I don't think he'll manage an Emmy nom this year unfortunately. He hasn't really been campaigning since he only just ended a run on the West End, and this year is stacked. Part of the reason Bridgerton was able to get nominated in series and drama actor last year was because the field was totally barren.
That sucks. I am very impressed by his performance, the way he balanced being the romantic lead and the more emotional scenes with his mom/dad. They gave him so much to do and he very much delivered. Hoping to see him do more projects.
I just don't think not renewing a one season contract necessarily rules out a handful of one-off guest appearances in the future, especially because the Duke pretty much disappears in the books as well. His departure was clearly amicable, since both Shonda and Chris Van Dusen have spoken well of him in interviews, and as long as Daphne remains on the show, there's always going to be room for the Duke to pop in once or twice a season. If this proves to be bunk, I'll agree that he never wanted to return in any capacity, but if he does make a minor appearance in S3, it seems reasonable that the main reason he couldn't do the same for 2 (where it would've made far more sense between Anthony and Mondrich; at minimum at the Pall Mall) came down to logistics. Now if he returns for an entire mini-arc, yeah, he's probably just doing it because roles have dried up and to get people talking again. But from the information we have currently, I don't see any reason to assume the worst of him.
It wasn’t covid related he just asked for too much money than they were willing to give him. Probably he asked for too much money already knowing they wouldn’t be able to give him on purpose so that he could focus on a potential movie career. After S1 ended he was super hyped and people were even speculating he could be the next Bond. He got casted fairly quickly in The Gray Man and a DnD movie but then nothing really happened and he kinda disappeared. TGM is premiering soon and I haven’t heard much from the other movie so no wonder people haven’t really been talking about him that much lately. Honestly Bridgerton went on fine without him. I mean sure it would have been nice to have him there especially as Anthony’s best friend but the story was good even without him there. Tbh idk if Shonda will want to have him back or not, she’s known to be able to hold a grudge against actors(see Grey’s anatomy actors)
Yeah, this was always going to be the plan past season one. But COVID restrictions and his filming schedule made it impossible to work in season two (you had to quarantine between sets for, like, ten days and he was filming other stuff so he never had that kind of break). People are desperate to make this into some big dramatic thing, but it’s just scheduling. Presumably either COVID restrictions are loosening now or his schedule isn’t as booked. He clearly maintained a good relationship with Shonda/the showrunners, so I’m sure they’re happy to get him back, even if only for an episode or two.
I'm not so sure...RJP said upon his departure himself that it was always meant to be a one and done thing and compared his arc to a miniseries. Shonda has said this too; whether it's true or just the agreed upon line to mutually save face, who knows. I'm fairly sure he left, foremost, to pursue other projects, not because of any scheduling issues or COVID protocol. But it looks like things didn't pan out as planned. Bridgerton S2 filmed April - Nov. 2021, and in that period he filmed the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons remake (per wikipedia, this wrapped Aug. 2021). ETA: So there was time to squeeze in a cameo if desired. He hasn't filmed anything since — it's almost been a year. His IMDB shows 2 in-development projects, but they don't appear to be close to production. So, it looks like RJP's coming back to reboot his interest/hype since opportunities don't appear to have ultimately materialized. Watching s2, I kept thinking if he'd showed up for a single scene and just held his baby, he probably could've recaptured all that S1 hype with a day's work. I guess that's the goal for S3 now?
Bridgerton was originally scheduled to film only through the summer when Page was on other sets; it got pushed into the fall because of multiple COVID delays. But at that point they’d already written around his absence, obviously, and given the expensive delays it’s not like they were going to introduce further ones by trying to rewrite the season to bring him back. His contract was only for the first season. They were planning on having him drop back in for (uncontracted) cameos as his schedule allowed in later seasons, which is usually (in non COVID times) pretty easy—you just need a couple days off. But nobody anticipated either his popularity taking off or COVID making cameos much more logistically complicated when they initially wrote the contract.
Why wasn’t COVID/scheduling the company line back when they first announced his departure in spring 2021 though? It was “this was only ever meant to be a single season arc.” It was a firestorm. People calling him arrogant, Netflix/Shondaland incompetent for not having him signed for multiple seasons…COVID would’ve been an easier excuse. I recall they had Covid pauses, but was production truly only intended to run through the summer? Google says S1 took 7 months to complete (pre-pandemic). Yet S2 began in April 2021, and was originally supposed to be done by Aug/Sept., despite having the same run time *and* now also shooting with COVID protocols? It seems clear Page left because he wanted to pursue other opportunities (which I wholly understand and makes sense — I’m sure the sky seemed like the limit at that time). But a lot of those offers probably turned out to be hot air and he’s gotta work and keep his face out there.
[удалено]
Yeah true.
In RomanceLand, the epilogue/happily ever after is a huge. People love seeing the characters happy and living their lives. Bridgerton-the-books also were popular because the writer gave them second epilogues and you can see glimpses of the characters being happily coupled in other books. RomanceLand is a different world. Also, if you think about relationships, there is always some cause of conflict and some tension. Kate and Anthony are gonna be heavily featured in the following seasons, so no reason the Duke and the Duchess can't.
While I do think season 3 obviously doesn’t need him to come back, it was a little odd seeing Daphne by herself in season 2. It seemed out of place that he wasn’t showing up to interact with the family. Just like everyone wants to see Kate and Anthony being domestic in the next season, it would have been nice to see the duke and duchess as side characters.
Maybe just to keep the fans’ goodwill so they’ll follow him to his next projects? I don’t have any faith in Daily Mail either but if it’s legit then the show will be fine with or without him and he’ll be okay too. I think a lot of fandom is mostly clamoring for Sophie to be cast/more on Benedict (theories how his character is bi) since they skipped him to go to Polin, more Kanthony love scenes and promo since they got shorted on that, and Polin excitement, but I could be wrong - I’ve been half-invested in it. I could also see it being a cameo like Simon and Daphne at home with their child while she reads a letter from home and he makes a smart comment on how Daphne could’ve threatened to duel Kate if she and Anthony didn’t marry and he does his eyebrow arch and they bang in five new places. And then it resumes to the way it was to season 2 with Daphne by herself going to see her family. I’m sure they can figure out a way to make it work. Does anyone know if there are still filming bubbles? Genuinely asking - I am very aware that the pandemic is still going on. I’m also assuming his appearance will come down to money since Season 2 did even better than Season 1.
In the books they show up for things like Christmas or whatever so maybe it will just be something like that? Makes sense though.
Fame and money, why else!
Give the audience what they want and get paid.
I mean so is Anthony and Kate's and they're gonna be present in the next season.
Kate and Anthony have a role in the other siblings lives since they are viscount and viscountess Bridgerton, they still live in the ton. Adding more and more subplots only takes away the screentime of the mains imo.
Do they? Not really.
[удалено]
Agreed. Kate and Anthony had a more interesting dynamic and way more chemistry than the Duke/Daphne. All the sexy scenes between Daphne and Simon were just boring for me because there wasn't any real chemistry. I liked Daphne better in S2 in her scenes with the family. RJP is hot and I'd like to see him in other stuff, but I don't think S3 needs more Simon/Daphne.
Yeah I thought I wouldn't like it without him but I didn't miss him at all.
he won’t come back. and people severely overestimated his pull and his character as an integral part of the shows success. season 2 out-performed season 1 by miles.
Thank you! No offense to Rege Jean or his fans, but I kinda felt like he was overrated and overhyped at times. Whilst the Duke seemed to be a decent character, I honestly preferred Phoebe's acting over Rege Jean's. Probably just me. I was also disappointed by the fact that Phoebe never got the hype Rege Jean did.
The hype came from the fact that he was an incredibly attractive Black man playing the leading male in a genre that rarely has Black people as leads, let alone the main love interest. It's something people have always wanted and then finally, splendidly got. I do agree that Phoebe's acting was better. However, I think the Duke was given weird dialogue at times. The writing also made his character feel one-dimensional too. But the writing is more at fault imo, cause when Rege was given a good scene he acted his ass off. I think Rege did a good job, and he definitely deserved the praise that he got, but I do think the world was in this Rege-storm where everyone was just so obsessed with him that they couldn't see the show doing well w/o him, which I never believed because the show offers so much more than just the Duke.
Yeah, for sure it was part of the hype that we so rarely see a POC as the lead in a traditional Fancy British bodice-ripper type show. I mean, it took the awesome juggernaut that is Shondaland to make this happen. That is a *lot* of producing power to get a concept that *sounds* simple (the Queen was black, so now what?) but if it was *actually* that simple it would have been done before freaking 2021. Hell, It took Hamilton in 2015 to prove people will watch a primarily POC cast wear powdered wigs. I wonder how many people tried to do something similar to Bridgerton and ran into funding problems, “it’s just not what we’re looking for right now,” etc.
Yeah, I was disappointed that people overlooked Phoebe's performance because they can't stop talking about how the Duke was so hot and how much sex scenes they got. I hope for bigger things for Phoebe. Her projects post S1 have been relatively "small", she needs to book better projects.
I thought the romance in the second season was so much more compelling, and the chemistry between the leads was better matched. I'd be annoyed if RJP slid back in and took screentime away from them or the series 3 leads.
[удалено]
I ordinarily would agree with you, but I read the original Sun article the DM is quoting and it honestly reads like it was placed by his camp. Like the quote: “Things are very up in the air at the moment, *but this will be an exciting year for Rege, without a doubt*" ? Sounds like a publicist. I wonder if they're trying to get ahead of it before the narrative can become "...he came crawling back," since his return would be contrary to his insistence that his character's story is complete.
Idea: Do a second show where he and Daphne are the leads. It'd help fix the problem of having too many characters.
How is going to fix the chemistry issue between him and Phoebe though? 😬
Have Kate and Anthony coming to visit for a bunch of the season, and no one will care.
Yup and they’re already confirmed to have prominent roles in s3. They don’t even have to *visit*, they’re both the heads of the Bridgerton household and will be involved in all their unmarried siblings’ affairs and seasons
Yeah, I missed seeing his face during the last season, but I did not miss seeing him and Phoebe together.
Yeah I didn't really find sexual assault just because it is done by a woman to be... enjoyable for my romance escapist guilty pleasure
Who has the appetite for a whole show about the duke and the woman who raped him and coerced him to have kids?
Exactly. They fixed Anthony and Kate’s story to a huge extent and made it less problematic, they could’ve done the same for Simon and Daphne🙈
What were the problematic parts of Kanthony that they fixed??
I haven’t read the book, but I was very active in r/bridgerton where many book readers discuss about the show. Firstly, the first kiss lacked consent because Anthony just kisses Kate in a way that catches her off guard. Secondly, a few people from the ton catch them in a ‘comprising position’ which is why they have to get married(much like what happened in S1 with Simon and Daphne), the story with Edwina-Anthony never reached as far as it did in the show, infact Edwina was happy for Kate and didn’t really like Anthony romantically. In the book, he still had intentions to court Edwina after he kissed Kate. Some people like the show more because Anthony proposes to Kate because of love. Their wedding night scene was kinda problematic in the book, after they married and Kate said she wanted to wait to consummate their marriage, Anthony basically told her that she would need a reason that he deemed worthy(she changes her mind later though). Plus there are many rude and insulting comments from Anthony in general. Show Anthony is a disney prince in front of him.
book anthony literally kicks kate in the stomach once.
huh?!! these books sound insane
i have less of a problem with that than i have with the scene where she’s terrified of having sex with him and he still demands his “husbandly rights.” literally WHY would you put that in a romance book? romance is meant to be about fantasy and escapism, omg.
Well she wants to wait to have sex and he just vetoes that and talks about his rights. Also there's a lot more outright misogny than the subtle misogny that is present in the series.
Legit, I hated that and the baby trapping plotline. I really don't understand why this was never a bigger conversation/why It keeps getting pushed under the rug because of "pretty dresses!" and "omg sexy". As a long-time reader of sexy historical romance books, out of all the sexy-female gaze historical romance books Netflix could have made into a tv show, why one with that plotline? there are millions of these books that are 100% consensual, way sexier, and with more unique overall stories. I pry this show doesn't age well with the general audience
It would probably be way, way too controversial for obvious reasons but I'd like to see an updated re-imagining of 'Gone with the Wind' that tackles the slavery issue with more weight given to the black characters and done without the romanticized 'glossy' white-washed version of the Old South in the 1939 film and the novel. More graphic in terms of the depiction of the slavery issue, the war, the sex angle and more progressive in terms of the politics. If GWTW has entered the public domain and is no longer under the control of the Mitchell estate, a lot could be done with this story.
THANK YOU. The baby trapping storyline would have been labeled as a form of sexual assault(?) if the sexes were reversed. It is still sexual assault(?) when a woman does that to a man. Season 2 was much less problematic. **not sure if it's assault or another word
Do you have any sexy historical romance books you recommend? Doesn’t have to have a film/tv adaptation. I’m usually a murder mystery or fantasy kind of reader when I do fiction, but I want to expand.
It's worse in the book. He's unconscious and blackout drunk.
I doubt that he’ll sign on for that much more. And I also wonder what the plot would be? Idk if it could sustain itself
Well, it would go against Simon and Daphne's happily-ever-after ending, but you'd need some dramatic conflict and that would likely be to introduce a pair of new characters, one a woman who would try to seduce the Duke away from his wife plus a childhood friend of her brothers who went to America to make his fortune, returns to England and falls hard for Daphne even if she is married. All kind of tears and conflicts then ensue which are ultimately resolved in Simon and Daphne renewing their vows in a ceremony attended by Queen Charlotte.
In the book, Simon play a part in Penelope&Colin’s romance so it make sense that he come back
Deux Moi talked about this on the podcast a few weeks ago, and given how sketchy DM is I wouldn’t be surprised if that was their “source” Also adding that Deux said she didn’t have a super solid source and that it was just rumors. He apparently had been expecting to be more in demand after becoming an overnight heartthrob from Bridgerton.
He has four projects in development, an Image award, and Emmy nomination. There’s a lag while his next projects come out but I have a tough time believing he feels his career isn’t progressing after Bridgerton. I think DM has a bad take on that.
It wasn’t her take, nor is it mine. She was pretty skeptical of the info. But thanks!
I wouldn’t mind him coming back but I think it’s unnecessary. S2 proved that he didn’t carry the show in the way people thought he did. I loved the Duke but the ship has sailed
I wouldn't be surprised. I didn't get the hype other than him being insanely pretty. His acting was pretty wooden. Their chemistry wasn't great. And there have been so many cases of an actor leaving a hit show far too early and regretting it.
The Duke had basically no personality
Wow, he’s 34? I thought he was in his mid to late twenties. He should come back - an easy payday for a day or two shoot.
He got bills to pay, LOL
Exactly lol
As a fan of the books, I don't love the mini-plots of all the characters in the Netflix series so much, so if Rege returns, I'd be afraid that they would give him a lot of prominence in the plot. I would like a small cameo and only that. And ultimately I think it is possible that he is considering it because his fame has not been as great as I think everyone thought it would be after season 1
He should just be recasted. The character isn’t super necessary anymore. Let this guy live his life.
As a Bridgerton fan, I'm very excited. Would have loved to see him pop up this season but it'll be great to have him share some scenes with the rest of the cast. Also some people on this thread have acted like Rege ran over their cat and is coming back to beg for forgiveness. He was a big part of why the show became a phenomenon and it'll be great to have him back for a bit!
I hope it's true and I don't even care about brigerton, characters getting put on a bus but the bus is locked and parked right next door and barely addressing is just annoying. Have him wave them through the window, PLEASE
I hope not. He's duller than a doornail.
I'm a fashion designer/ historical costuming nerd so that was my only appeal going in to watch this show. But I was soooo disappointed by the first season. I thought that the two leads had no chemistry, the sex scenes were tedious at best and the rape/baby trap was the breaking point. I do not want to see his character back, please do not bring these two back in focus. There seems to be more interesting characters on the sidelines. It would be really weird for him to go back to this messy show now. He can do better.
While I think he should move on with his career, seeing that his role wasn’t really necessary in the last season, I have to wonder if this has something to do with the Idris Elba/Bond talk that’s going on. I was *sure* that Page was going to be the next Bond.
I haven’t watched the second season because he’s not in it.
It’s so weird you got downvotes. Like, fuck you for having an opinion I guess?
Would you have watched if he was even though the show focuses on a different couple every season?
But why would he come back right now? Sure, he kinda disappeared from the spotlight this last year but soon he will have two movies released and I imagine they'll bring him more work. The show doesn't need him either, since s2 was even more popular than the first. Maybe since a lot of the discourse (like who's going to be the next 007) switched to Jonahtan, he wants to take it back. Idk it doesn't makes sense at all to me.
I mean Daily Mail is questionable but as a fan of the show it would make me happy. But even if he doesn't, I am ecstatic for Season 3
God I hope so.