Guy Ritchie returned to the British gangster caper in 2019 with The Gentlemen starring Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant, and Succession‘s Jeremy Strong. And it’s getting a sequel in the form of a Netflix series starring Theo James – currently impressing audiences in HBO’s The White Lotus.
Guy Ritchie exploded onto the filmmaking scene with the one-two punch of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000) which both starred Jason Statham. They were both London-set crime movies that had a fresh approach to editing, banging soundtracks, and a very British sense-of-humour with plenty of Cockney rhyming slang.
His career dipped after these, but he came back with two generally well-received Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey Jr, and the vastly underrated spy movie The Man from UNCLE (2015). Ritchie directed the massive hit that was live-action Disney remake Aladdin (2019) before returning to the gangster flick with The Gentlemen and Wrath of Man (2021). He will be returning to Disney to helm Hercules, but will be involved in The Gentlemen Netflix series as a director of the first two episodes, and writer of the pilot.
According to Collider, The Gentlemen TV series will centre around Eddie Halstead (James), a man who steps in to manage his father’s estate following his passing. Quickly learning that he may be biting off more than he can chew, Eddie comes to discover that his father and his property are both involved with the infamous Mickey Pearson’s (played by Matthew McConaughey in the film) marijuana empire.
Deciding that he’s going to jump into these uncharted waters head first, Eddie tries to learn the tricks of the trade. With pressure from the government and his peers lurking around every corner, the series will see Eddie put to the test when it comes to the world of the cannabis industry.
Apparently filming starts next week in London, but no other casting has yet been announced. Theo James has starred in The Time Traveler’s Wife and Mr. Malcolm’s List this year. He previously appeared in the Divergent franchise and Sanditon.
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