Fans of Bridgerton were dismayed with the news that Regé-Jean Page would not be returning to the steamy Netflix series for its second season, despite his departure always being part of the plan for the show.
“Simon was this bomb of a one-season antagonist, to be reformed and to find his true self through Daphne,” he told Variety in May. “I think one of the bravest things about the romance genre is allowing people a happy ending.”
The British actor quickly went on to secure roles in Netflix’s The Gray Man (opposite Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans) and Paramount’s Dungeons & Dragons adaptation, telling Variety that he was open to joining another series.
Dungeons & Dragons will not be Page’s only project with Paramount though, as he has now signed on to star in the platform’s reimagining of The Saint.
The Saint, as you’ll likely know, was a hugely popular series of books which were published from the 1920s to the 1980s by Leslie Charteris and also a 1960s UK TV series starring Roger Moore. The story centres on a character named Simon Templar, better known as The Saint, who is a Robin Hood-type criminal and thief for hire.
A 1997 film was also made starring Val Kilmer as the titular character. Kilmer will now boast a producer credit on the new film which is said to be a completely new take that reimagines The Saint character and the world around him. Playwright and actor Kwame Kwei-Armah will pen the script.
Page is certainly one of the most sought-after actors of the moment, having been nominate for a Lead Actor Emmy for his work on Bridgerton.
He has also been a huge advocate for greater onscreen representation and chooses his roles carefully to reflect that.
“As Black people, we’re very used to empathising with the world through white people’s eyes, because they’re the protagonists,” he told Variety. “I know what it’s like to look at the world and empathise with Superman because I spent my whole life doing that.
“What’s revolutionary, in its own way, is getting folks to see the world through my eyes, because then they are in my skin and looking at the world through me.”
The actor was also the centre of intense conversations around onscreen diversity after it was suggested that he had been passed over for the role of Superman’s grandfather Seg-El on Syfy’s DC superhero series Krypton because he is Black.
Page Tweeted about the situation, writing: “Hearing about these conversations hurts no less now than it did back then. The clarifications almost hurt more tbh. Still just doing my thing. Still, we do the work. We still fly.”
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