‘Bridgerton’ Season 3: Will the Duke of Hastings be Recast?
Regé-Jean Page has made it clear he has no plans to return for Bridgerton Season 3. But with Daphne’s continuing storyline, many are wondering if the Netflix series will recast the Duke of Hastings role with another actor.
Why Regé-Jean Page didn’t return to play Simon on ‘Bridgerton’
As with his portrayal of the Duke of Hastings Simon Bassett, Page became the breakout star of Bridgerton. His character, along with Phoebe Dynevor’s Daphne Bridgerton, was at the center of the first season as the story followed the couple’s budding romance.
Page’s performance earned him several accolades, including a 2021 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead in a Drama. But soon after the series premiered, Page revealed that he has no plans to return and suggested the show could recast him if needed.
“They’re free to do as they like,” the actor told Variety, noting that he and executive producer Shonda Rhimes had already discussed his departure. “Shonda and I had a wonderful conversation at the end of Season 1. We were quite happy with how we stuck the landing on that one.”
When talking to People, Rhimes admitted she wasn’t surprised by Page’s decision to leave. And while acknowledging his success, she suggested it wouldn’t make sense for him to appear in seasons focused on other characters.
“He’s an enormous star now,” Rhimes said. “The idea that we would write Regé to stand around in the background doesn’t make any sense at all to me.”
“Rightfully, he said, ‘I signed up to do this one lovely story, this closed-ended storyline. I’m good!'” she continued. “And I don’t blame him for that. I think that he was really smart to leave the perfection as the perfection.”
Will Simon be recast for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3?
The first two seasons of Bridgerton are based on Julia Quinn’s first and second Bridgerton novels —The Duke and I and The Viscount Who Loved Me. But season 3 will diverge from Quinn’s chronology and follow her fourth book, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, which centers on Penelope and Colin’s romance.
Aside from The Duke and I, the character of Simon Bassett appears in The Viscount Who Loved Me and Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. So, while showrunners could have recast him last season, they opted to write Simon out instead.
As of now, there’s no word on a potential Simon recast for season 3. So, the show may continue to only mention the Duke by name.
Some ‘Bridgerton’ fans reveal the actors they could see playing Simon
While some Bridgerton fans may scoff at the idea of replacing Page, others are open to the idea. Some have suggested recasting the Duke’s role with Alfred Enoch, the actor who played Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter movies, and Wes Gibbins on How to Get Away With Murder.
“They should recast RJP with Alfred Enoch to play Simon in Season 3,” one Reddit user suggested. “They are almost the same age (33 vs 34), and Alfred most definitely has the looks and acting chops to embody Simon.”
Other actors fans have considered for the role include Nick Sagar, Aldis Hodge, and Lucien Laviscount.
