Meghan Markle is reportedly set to return for a Suits reunion after TV bosses made an “impossible to refuse” offer worth about £3.74m, with filming planned in the UK.
A top Hollywood source has revealed that executives are ready to tempt the Duchess of Sussex back to her best known role with a massive salary of US $5million – about £3.74million – for a two-hour special. The entire show would be shot in the UK so she will not be parted for weeks from Prince Harry and their children in their new Cotswolds home.
Substantial budget confirmed
Our senior production source confirmed that NBC Universal is ready to assign a “substantial budget” to reunite the Duchess of Sussex with her former castmates for a “one-off blockbuster that could even, potentially, reignite an eventual reboot of the original series”.
They added: “Suits is still in syndication in more than 150 countries and boasts millions of fans worldwide. Meghan’s character (former paralegal turned hotshot attorney Rachel Zane) has a huge cult following all of her own.”
As well as endless re-runs on broadcast TV, the legal drama has also enjoyed phenomenal success on US streaming giants Peacock and Netflix, where it enjoyed a major revival of interest three years ago.
Return to acting
Meghan, 45, who quit Suits to marry Prince Harry in 2018 after appearing in 108 episodes, has already returned to acting with a cameo appearance in the upcoming Amazon MGM comedy film Close Personal Friends starring Lily Collins and Brie Larson.
Her pivotal role in the planned Suits special would also reunite her with friend, wedding guest and former co-star Patrick J Adams, who played her love interest – ex-college dropout turned high-flying attorney Mike Ross – in the original show.
Earlier this year, he pitched a string of ideas to revive the series to Suits creator Aaron Korsh, who is now said to be “totally on-board” with a UK based storyline that would see Meghan and Patrick’s characters at the heart of an international legal drama, possibly involving a class-action lawsuit against an AI tech giant.
UK production boom
Our production source said: “Everything is beginning to fit in place and shooting the whole thing at a major UK studio is actually a smart financial move as well as being convenient for Meghan.”
Britain is enjoying a boom as a global film and TV production hub and has already been dubbed ‘Hollywood East’ by major US studios that benefit from greater tax incentives than those offered by most states – including California – in America.
“It’s way too soon to say if a Suits reunion would reignite an entire new series, but that’s clearly the hope of Patrick and several of the show’s other leading cast members,” said our source. “Fans might also be able to look out for an A List special guest star during the two-hour special. Several household names are currently being floated.”
Meghan, who may return to the US later this month for the Daytime Emmy Awards – where she is a nominee in the Outstanding Lifestyle Programme category for her ill-fated Netflix series With Love, Meghan – is already “making plans” with friends in Montecito for her family’s return to California for Christmas, according to reports.
Our source said that, at some stage soon, she is expected to discuss the Suits reunion deal with her representatives at Tinseltown talent agency WME, adding: “At NBC Universal, the powers that be will be hoping their offer is one she finds impossible to refuse.”
