Madonna’s ex Guy Ritchie reportedly took advantage of Meghan Markle’s current controversy and shifted the spotlight to his own upcoming project. For those unversed, multiple reports have shared that the Sussexes are returning to the UK along with their children by the end of August. Simultaneously, there were rumors that the former actress would join Ritchie’s Netflix series “The Gentlemen.”
Guy Ritchie benefited from speculation linking Meghan to ‘The Gentlemen’, sources say
As per Rob Shuter’s latest report, Guy Ritchie profited from speculation that Meghan Markle was attached to “The Gentlemen.” While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly moving back to the UK, there has also been speculation that Markle is returning to acting.
Multiple outlets reported that she was in advanced talks to star in “The Gentlemen.” However, interestingly, according to Rob Shuter, the talks were in their nascent stage.
No role has officially been offered, and Markle has not signed on the dotted line. Moreover, a few reports even hinted at whether Season 3 had even received a formal green light. The second season premieres on September 3, and Ritchie needed people to talk about it. Hence, he capitalized on Markle’s recent news coverage and pivoted the conversation to his project.
The source dished: “Guy didn’t need to cast Meghan — he needed people talking about The Gentlemen. And overnight, everybody was.”
The source explained that it isn’t like Ritchie ditched Markle at the last moment. Instead, she was never in the running for the final role. The insider chimed in: “People are framing this like Guy backed away from Meghan. That assumes there was ever something concrete to back away from. There wasn’t.”
According to Rob Shuter, Ritchie picked a leaf out of his ex-Madonna’s playbook on self-publicity and celebrity marketing. The source added: “Madonna understood how to turn speculation into oxygen. Guy clearly learned something.”
As for the Sussexes’ rumored UK return, the couple will reportedly be residing in a private, non-royal home base while retaining their California and Portugal homes. As per PEOPLE, Harry and Meghan have enrolled their children in a school in Britain, and the kids will begin their new term in September.
