Guy Ritchie’s first venture into creating a series since Snatch might feel like a moment of deja vu for his fans.
The British filmmaker lends the same name of his 2019 film The Gentlemen to his new Netflix spin-off starring Theo James.
Kaya Scodelario says Guy Ritchie’s requirement for his actors to ad-lib is ‘anxiety-inducing’, Pic: Netflix
The eight-episode series exists in the same world as the film which starred impressive names including Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, Henry Golding, Charlie Hunnam and Hugh Grant.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Gentlemen series.
What’s The Gentlemen about?
Created, executive produced and written by Guy Ritchie, The Gentlemen follows young officer Eddie Horniman (Theo James) who unexpectedly inherits his father’s 500-year-old country estate over his older brother.
The family property and business houses more than he initially thought – and he soon discovers a cannabis farm, which is part of a much bigger empire, operating on his land.
“I love playing villains,” says Theo James. “I think it’s my favourite thing to do.”
The British actor believes his character is essentially a good person but gets corrupted when he develops a taste for violence and power.
“Guy always talked about the idea of Michael Corleone – someone who’s good and is a tactician, but slowly his soul gets kind of sucked from him because he’s seduced by violence.”
The introduction of the dark underworld brings a collection of “unsavoury characters” to Eddie’s privileged life and chaos ensues.
The Gentlemen is an eight-episode spin-off to Ritchie’s 2019 film of the same name. Pic: Netflix
Who stars in it?
Fresh from his trip to Sicily for The White Lotus, Theo James leads the cast of notable British names.
Ray Winstone stars as career criminal Bobby Glass, who heads the drug gang from an open prison.
His daughter Susie, played by The Pirates of the Caribbean’s Kaya Scodelario, maintains the family business on his behalf.
The series also includes Daniel Ings (The Crown), Vinnie Jones (Snatch), Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad).
Daniel Ings plays Eddie’s older brother, Freddy, in the Netflix series. Pic: Netflix
‘Unique style’
This isn’t the first time Ritchie has taken inspiration from a film he created and expanded its world in series form.
Snatch, the 2000 film starring Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, Stephen Graham and Benicio del Toro received a similar treatment in 2017.
In the TV adaptation Harry Potter star Rupert Grint, Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris) and Phoebe Dynevor (The Crown) put their own spin on the world of organised crime.
Nothing quite prepares you for Ritchie’s directing style, according to Scodelario.
“He has a very unique style, which, to begin with, can be very anxiety-inducing,” she says.
The British actress, 31, says you can learn all your lines and then “everything that you’ve prepared gets thrown out of the window and you have to think on your feet”.
James believes there’s always a “breaking-in process” when working with a new director but teaming up with Ritchie was something else.
“He likes to improvise on the day,” the 39-year-old actor says, adding “and once you succumb to that, then it becomes quite fun”.
The Series versus the film
Naturally, the new series draws a lot of comparisons to the 2019 film – including some minor nods to the original.
In the first episode Freddy Horniman (Ings) is locked in a freezer over debts he owes – mirroring one of the film’s final scenes with Jeremy Strong in a similar situation.
Other nods to the film include the drug empire working out of a boxing gym, the same strain of cannabis brand White Widow Super Cheese, and the barbecue veranda scenes in both the series and the film.
There is no telling whether or not these parallels will mean the introduction of characters from the film should the Netflix show get the green light for a future series.
The Gentlemen is available to stream now on Netflix.
