Rege-Jean Page will not reprise his role as Simon Basset aka the Duke of Hastings for Season 2 of Netflix’s “Bridgerton.”
The announcement was made Friday in statement from “Bridgerton’s” anonymous narrator, Lady Whistledown, shared on the show’s social media accounts: “Dear Readers, while all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings. We’ll miss Simon’s presence onscreen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family. Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer – more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear. Yours truly, Lady Whistledown”
“Pleasure and a privilege! An honour to be a member of the family – on and off screen, cast, crew and incredible fans – the love is real and will just keep growing,” Page wrote in a quote-tweet of the statement.
Though this news will probably come as a shock to fans who were hoping to see more of fan-favorite Simon in Season 2, an individual with knowledge tells TheWrap that Page had only signed on and been contracted for the first season of the Shonda Rhimes-produced romance, which is adapted from “The Duke and I,” the first book in Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” novel series. That book, and thus “Bridgerton’s” corresponding first season, centered on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and her love interest, Simon (Page).
With the focus of “Bridgerton” Season 2 being the plot of the second book in the “Bridgerton” novels, “The Viscount Who Loved Me,” which follows the love story of Daphne’s eldest brother, Anthony Bridgerton (played by Jonathan Bailey), Page’s Simon will not be included in the season.
However, Dynevor will continue on “Bridgerton” in her role as Daphne, remaining a vital part of the series, and Page’s Simon will also continue to live on within the “Bridgerton” world as Daphne’s husband, per the source.
Production on “Bridgerton” Season 2 begins this month.
Your Grace, it has been a pleasure. 💜🐝 pic.twitter.com/kX1nIG8pz7
— Bridgerton (@bridgerton) April 2, 2021