Meghan Markle’s ‘The Gentleman’ deal fallout, how is Madonna connected? Meghan Markle was anticipated to make her acting comeback in the season three of Guy Ritchie’s hit Netflix show, The Gentleman, after settling in her UK residence.
The Duchess of Sussex, who is moving back with Prince Harry and the children to England, had landed a job and was reportedly looking forward to her new role. However, it appears that she may have been used as bait, and Madonna may have something to do with it.
The season two of the series is set to premiere on the streaming giant on September 3rd, which is around the same time the Sussexes were supposed to arrive in the UK. While the details of the move have been kept private for safety, the announcement of their return last week has already created a media stir.
However, according to Rob Shuter, Madonna’s ex-husband, Guy, seemed to have used strategy often used by the Material Girl singer to benefit him.
“Guy didn’t need to cast Meghan — he needed people talking about The Gentlemen,” a Hollywood insider revealed. “And overnight, everybody was.”
There was no official confirmation on Meghan’s role and no announcement, just reports. This generated buzz about the show. Just 24 hours later, it was revealed that the deal has been cancelled due to “severe backlash”.
“People are framing this like Guy backed away from Meghan,” another source added. “That assumes there was ever something concrete to back away from. There wasn’t.”
Moreover, Guy understands the oldest rule of celebrity marketing: the story is often more valuable than the deal. The noted that Madonna knew “how to turn speculation into oxygen” and “Guy clearly learned something”.