Theo James calls Meghan Markle’s ‘The Gentlemen’ casting rumors ‘hot air’

( NewsNation ) — Theo James is dismissing the rumors surrounding Meghan Markle’s return to acting.

In an interview with Town & Country , the actor addressed rumors that Meghan would be joining his show, “The Gentlemen,” for its recently announced third season.

“Yes, Fergie is joining. She’ll be playing my love interest,” said James, jokingly referring to Sarah Ferguson .

He added, “No, I think that was mainly a lot of hot air,” he said of the Meghan casting rumors. “At the moment, we’re just trying to get as many eyes on season two and then season three will happen soon.”

The actor, who plays Eddie, the drug-dealing 13th Duke of Halstead on Guy Ritchie’s Netflix show , explained that the primary focus is setting up the show’s story for the future, but that smaller details about the series are “very much up in the air.”

Last month, reports emerged that the Duchess of Sussex was in “advanced” talks to join “The Gentleman,” following her and Prince Harry’s surprising move back to the U.K.

Meghan’s role “is currently being written,” and there wasn’t any confirmation on how many episodes she’d appear in, according to The Hollywood Reporter when news broke.

However, shortly after the rumored casting, Tina Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, reported that Meghan’s offer was revoked.

“The backlash in the U.K. was so intense, it became untenable to go forward,” Brown wrote on her Aug. 22 Substack . “This does not bode well for Meghan’s acting comeback in the U.K. More to come.”

Last week, Manda Levin, Netflix’s scripted chief in the U.K., was at the Edinburgh TV Festival and gave a cryptic answer when asked about the Meghan casting rumors.

If the casting rumors are true, then the role would be Markle’s biggest acting project since leaving “Suits” in 2018 to join the royal family.