Guy Ritchie was “surprised” by the popularity of the first series of The Gentlemen, saying it was a challenge to keep the show “live and interesting” for its second instalment.
The 57-year-old created, co-wrote and executive produced the Netflix hit which stars Theo James as Duke Eddie Horniman, who inherits a family estate home to a cannabis farm run by Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario).
The series is a spin-off from Ritchie’s blockbuster of the same name and has proved a major success, leading to multiple award nominations and an Emmy win.
Challenge of Expanding the World
The Gentlemen was recently renewed for a third season, just days before the release of its second series.
During a press conference for the launch of its new instalment, Ritchie reflected on the difficulties of expanding the world of The Gentlemen.
He said: “We were quite surprised by the interest that season one provoked, and then of course the challenge is: How do you keep this live and interesting?
“We paid more attention to the second season, I think.
“But our principal challenge was to evoke (something) unpredictable but enough of the same world, and an environment where we felt that we were stimulated.”
New and Provocative Story
The award-winning filmmaker also discussed the difficulties of trying to come up with a story which was “new and provocative” whilst also being “familiar enough”.
“The scripts, to some degree, write themselves as characters do,” Ritchie added.
“Once characters have been given a voice, it’s odd how they can unfurl their characteristics and subsequently the drama that thereby follows.”
Ritchie is best known for directing films including Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and Wrath Of Man.
Second Season Details
The Gentlemen series two will pick up a year later as Eddie and Susie expand their criminal empire to Italy, and are faced with high stakes and power struggles with mobsters such as Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone).
James, known for starring in the Divergent film trilogy, said: “After the first season, there’s an ability to go deeper and darker in all elements while keeping it entertaining and humorous at the same time.
“We’re kind of expanding and deepening everything that we’ve built.”
Reflecting on how his character has changed since becoming immersed into a life of crime, James added: “He starts to make decisions and question his own sense of morality.
“Perhaps as a result, he’s starting to erode some of the goodness there, and there’s a blackness that is etching into his sense of self and his soul.”
The eagerly awaited second season, which will be released on Thursday, will also see Love Island host Maya Jama make her acting debut as Aisha, the wife of a criminal associate.
Lovesick actor Daniel Ings will reprise his role as Eddie’s brother Freddy while Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville joins as corrupt aristocrat Lord Hawthorne.
It is believed that the Duchess of Sussex is in talks to make her return to acting in the third season of The Gentlemen.
Deadline was first to report that Meghan has had preliminary conversations about a potential role in the show, which would mark her first significant acting role since her marriage to the Duke of Sussex in 2018.
