Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell has dismissed speculation that the Netflix series plans to recast key roles from its first two seasons. In an interview with Variety, Brownell stated that the production is not interested in replacing characters originally played by Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor.
Page, who portrayed the Duke of Hastings, left after season one, while Dynevor, who played Daphne Bridgerton, exited following season two. Fans had speculated that these roles might be recast to allow the characters to return, but Brownell clarified that this is not under consideration.
“We are not interested in recasting the characters,” Brownell said. “I think it would be a disservice to everything Regé and Phoebe set up in season one, and all the beautiful work they put into those characters.” She added that the team would “love to potentially have them back at some point” but only when there is “something really meaty for them.”
Since leaving Bridgerton, Page has appeared in films such as Black Bag and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, while Dynevor starred in the erotic thriller Fair Play. Brownell emphasised that a brief cameo would not be appropriate, saying, “To have them come back to say a line at a funeral and just prove that they were there, it wouldn’t feel right.”
The fourth season of Bridgerton, which focuses on the romance between Sophie (Yerin Ha) and Benedict (Luke Thompson), has received mixed reviews. The Independent’s Nick Hilton awarded it three stars, describing it as “the closest a human could come to creating an AI slop Regency romance.”
