Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page has addressed the rumour that he was going to return as the Duke of Hastings on the racy period drama, saying the speculation was ‘made up’.
In season one of the Shonda Rhimes-produced, Regency era-set series, Page was introduced as Simon Basset, who unwittingly fell in love with Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor).
Fans were devastated when they learnt that the actor would not be returning for season two, with the latest episodes – which came out in March – following the fiery romance between Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley).
It was recently reported that Page was in talks to come back for season three, with a source saying: ‘Recently there has been a dialogue between him and the show’s bosses. Nothing has been formally agreed yet, but watch this space.’
However, the 34-year-old has since quashed the claim, saying there is no truth behind it.
The actor addressed the rumour in a post on Instagram featuring a photo of him and his Bridgerton co-star Jonathan, during a recent meet-up.
‘The boys are back in town,’ Page wrote in the caption, alongside a heart emoji.
He then added: ‘I’m not going back to the show btw,’ stating that the rumour was ‘made up’.
‘But we had the best, and most stylish, catch up I’ve had in a while over some truly excellent Italian coffee and sunshine,’ he wrote.
Chris Van Dusen, who created the Bridgerton TV series, commented: ‘Regency gents.’
Despite Page’s insistence that he would not be returning to Bridgerton, several fans in the comment section implored him to change his mind.
‘This is so iconic but pls come back,’ one person wrote.
‘Break my heart why don’t you. Lol,’ someone else said, while another added: ‘You just broke my heart with that news.’
However, others wished him well on his future endeavours – and he sure isn’t short of exciting upcoming projects.
As well as appearing in Netflix film The Gray Man with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, Page is also set to star in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which also features Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith and Hugh Grant in the cast.
Page has been heavily rumoured as a frontrunner to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond for quite some time, although it appears we’re still far off from learning who’s going to bag the role.
Nonetheless, he did earn former Bond star Pierce Brosnan’s approval as 007, who said: ‘I think he would be wonderful.’
Bridgerton is available to watch on Netflix.
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