Netflix Boss Responds to Meghan Markle’s “The Gentlemen” Casting Speculation with 4 Words

Meredith KileFri, August 28, 2026 at 6:43 PM UTC

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Meghan Markle; Theo James in the ‘The Gentlemen’Credit: Craig Barritt/Getty; Netflix -

Meghan Markle is in talks to return to acting as she and Prince Harry move their family back to the U.K.

PEOPLE learned last week that the Duchess of Sussex was in talks to join the third season of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix drama The Gentlemen

A Netflix executive was recently asked about the casting during a festival appearance and offered a cryptic answer

Speculation about Meghan Markle’s return to acting continues.

PEOPLE learned last week that the Duchess of Sussex, 45, is in talks to join Guy Ritchie’s Netflix drama The Gentlemen. On Aug. 24, the news broke that the show had been renewed for a third season; however, nothing official was announced about Meghan’s potential involvement, and PEOPLE learned that a deal had yet to be reached.

During an appearance at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Wednesday, Aug. 26, Manda Levin, Netflix’s scripted chief in the U.K., gave a cryptic answer when asked about Meghan’s rumored casting.

“All bets are off,” she replied.

Theo James in ‘The Gentlemen’Credit: Christopher Raphael/Netflix

The Gentlemen, which stars Theo James and Kaya Scodelario, is set in England and filmed in the U.K. The Hollywood Reporter noted last week that the role “is currently being written, so it’s unclear how many episodes [Meghan] would appear in.”

Insiders say the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been discussing Meghan’s return to acting for some time before the opportunity arose.

Meghan was living in Toronto and filming Suits when she first met Prince Harry back in 2016. She stepped away from the show prior to their 2018 wedding and even told Variety in a 2022 interview that she was “done” with acting.

She filmed two seasons and a holiday special for her Netflix lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, which premiered in 2025, and filmed a cameo as herself in Close Personal Friends, an upcoming movie starring Lily Collins and Jack Quaid.

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Meghan was spotted on the Pasadena, Calif., set of the film in November 2025, with a source telling PEOPLE she appeared “very relaxed and happy.”

“She introduced herself to everyone and was very sweet and down-to-earth,” the source said at the time.

Meghan Markle starred as Rachel Zane on ‘Suits’ for seven seasons, from 2011-2018Credit: Ian Watson/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Meghan also has a history with Netflix. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed an initial deal with the streamer in 2020, and, five years later, extended their creative partnership through a multi-year, first-look deal for film and television projects.

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The Gentlemen role helped shape the timing of Meghan and Prince Harry’s whirlwind move back to Britain with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. PEOPLE revealed on Aug. 19 that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were relocating for an extended period of time, with plans to establish a private, non-royal home and have the children start school in September.

A week later, PEOPLE confirmed that the family had arrived back on U.K. soil, landing in Birmingham, England, after flying private from California.

The move back does not mean a return to royal roles for Meghan and Harry, who stepped back from their roles as working members of the royal family in 2020 before relocating to California. The King is said to have been clear that there will be no change to Harry and Meghan’s status as non-working members of the royal family, in keeping with the agreement they previously reached with the late Queen Elizabeth.

Meghan will continue leading her lifestyle company, As Ever, from the U.K. Meanwhile, with a base in Britain, Harry will be able to spend more time with U.K.-based charities including Scotty’s Little Soldiers and WellChild, as well as the Invictus community — especially with the upcoming 2027 Invictus Games to be held in Birmingham.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”