Regé-Jean Page, the star of Netflix’s mega-hit period series Bridgerton, will not be returning to the show for its second season.
The news was broken on social media, written from the perspective of the series’ unnamed ‘Gossip Girl but make it Victorian’ narrator Lady Whistledown.
“Dearest Readers, while all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings. We’ll miss Simon’s presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family.”
Page said his own goodbye to the series, which has become a phenomenon across the world, with 82 million households tuning into the show since its launch on December 25 at the end of last year.
“The ride of a lifetime,” wrote Page on his Instagram.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to be your Duke. Joining this family – not just on screen, but off screen too. Our incredibly creative and generous cast, crew, outstanding fans – it’s all been beyond anything I could have imagined. The love is real and will just keep growing.”
The series, based on a hit series of books by Julia Quinn, does not include Page’s character past its first book, leading many to speculate that this announcement was forthcoming. The series’ first eight episodes are set in 1813 London during ‘courting season’ in which young eligible men and women try to find a mate in Britain’s high society.
So what’s next for Page?
Page has has quite the start to the year, hosting Saturday Night Live winning the NAACP Image Award last week for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series.
He also just finished filming his next project, also at Netflix, a spy thriller from Anthony and Joe Russo, directors of Avengers: Endgame. The Russos have found a home at Netflix for their action projects, with the film they produced starring Chris Hemsworth, Extraction, becoming the platform’s most widely-seen film in its history, as well as Mosul, set in Iraq from the perspective of Iraqi soldiers fighting ISIS.
The Gray Man is set to be the most expensive film ever made by Netflix, with a production budget of $200 million. The film is the first in a planned series based on Mark Greaney’s book series, following a CIA agent who is forced to become a fugitive after being betrayed.
Page will star alongside leads Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, with Ana de Armas of the new Bond film No Time to Die also appearing.
After that, Page will be starring in Dungeons & Dragons in the film’s lead role, with Hugh Grant also appearing. The film is the latest adaptation of the hugely popular fantasy role playing game. Fast & Furious star Michelle Rodriguez and Justice Smith of Detective Pikachu will also be starring.
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