There Were Never Any Plans to Continue Simon Basset's Story on Bridgerton
When the first season of Bridgerton came out, Duke of Hastings quickly made waves amongst all the viewers, and it's hardly surprising.
With dashing looks, saucy spoon-licking antics, and a complicated backstory, he did leave quite an impression, after all. So, when it was announced he won't be returning for any further seasons, fans across the world were surprised and heartbroken, to say the least. But not many people know that there were never any plans to continue Simon Basset's story.
As many fans found it strange that an actor would walk away from such a prominent role so soon, they had their own theories about his absence. Some speculated he might have had a negative experience on set, while others assumed he wanted to make a name for himself outside Bridgerton. But contrary to what many viewers might have thought, the actor Regé-Jean Page's departure was fully amicable, and there was actually no drama whatsoever!
As it turns out, the main intention of the show is to give the spotlight to a new character each season.
"It was kind of always the plan. It's in the books, you have one sibling per [book]. And Simon was this kind of bomb of a one-season antagonist to be reformed and to find his true self, through Daphne. I think one of the bravest things about the romance genre is allowing people a happy ending," he explained to Variety.
It has also been rumored that due to the intense response from the fans, the executive producer of the series, Shonda Rhimes, did end up inviting Page back. However, he declined the offer as he only signed a contract for season 1 and a closed-ended storyline, and he was happy to keep it that way.
According to Rhimes herself, they weren't counting on Page's storyline to continue:
"It didn't actually change our plans at all. Season 2 proceeded exactly like we planned it to." (via People)
What Has the Duke of Hastings Been up to?
Now, just because Page is no longer going to be part of any Bridgerton's future episodes, it doesn't mean we won't see him on-screen ever again. In fact, you'll be happy to know that he has been quite busy. He has already made an appearance in a thriller called The Gray Man, alongside other big names such as Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling, and Ana de Armas. We will also be seeing him in the Dungeons & Dragons adaptation, which is currently in post-production and set to be released in 2023.
In addition to his acting endeavors, you can even listen to his voice in a Netflix nature documentary called Surviving Paradise: A Family Tale, which Page narrates.