Guy Ritchie’s new show tells a completely different story, featuring entirely new characters from his 2020 film.
If you were to hear that Guy Ritchie’s new project, The Gentlemen, is available to stream on Netflix today (Thursday 7th March), with no prior information, you may be somewhat confused.
This is because Ritchie’s film The Gentlemen was released in the UK back in 2020, and gained a huge fan base. However, the project being released today is not a film.
It is instead a series, one which tells a story about similar topics to those discussed in the film, but which otherwise has little relation, and features a whole new, different cast of characters.
RadioTimes.com caught up with some of the stars of the new series The Gentlemen, and asked them how they felt the connection between the film and series was best summed up.
Speaking alongside co-star Michael Vu, Daniel Ings, who plays Freddie Horniman in the series, said: “I would say that it kind of shares the DNA of the movie. It takes that idea of gangsters getting into bed with, going into business with the rich aristocracy, who have these huge empires and all this land, but really no cash, no disposable cash, so they’re leasing the land.”
He continued: “And I think it takes that idea from the movie and expands on it and goes, ‘Well, who are these people that have these crumbling empires and who are clinging on to the past, but need these gangsters, need these modern criminals in order to stay afloat?’
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“So, it’s obviously a key part of the film, but the series I think takes that element of it and grows it like a fine weed farm.”
Meanwhile, Max Beesley, who plays Henry Collins in the show, added: “The only similar nuance is the drug, really, is the marijuana. I think it’s a different beast, but there are the same nuances in there.
“There is comedy, there’s action, there’s drama in there, but we’ve got new characters introduced, new actors introduced, who all in their own right are terrific, strong, strong performers.
“And so, for fans of the film, they’re getting a double bubble, really, but they’re getting eight episodes, which is terrific.”
The series follows Theo James’s Eddie Horniman, the younger brother of Freddie, who unexpectedly inherits his father’s country estate and dukedom, but soon discovers that it’s actually part of a cannabis empire.
As he tries to extricate his family from their clutches, he gets sucked into the world of criminality and begins to find a taste for it.
The Gentlemen will arrive on Netflix in March. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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