One of the biggest TV shows of 2020 was Netflix's period drama Bridgerton. Much of its success was down to the appeal of its handsome leading man, a then relatively unknown British actor by the name of Regé-Jean Page.
When it was announced that Page wouldn't be returning for the show's upcoming second season, speculation began to mount that the 31-year-old Londoner was set to take over the role of James Bond from Daniel Craig. Page even seemed to stoke these rumours himself back in December when he captioned an Instagram post with the words "Shaken and stirred."
Regency, royalty
Shaken and stirred.#Bridgerton pic.twitter.com/cSwnSpLQCy
— Regé-Jean Page (@regejean) December 16, 2020
As it turns out, Page will be playing another debonair hero once portrayed by Roger Moore.
It has now been announced that Page will play Simon Templar, aka The Saint, in a reboot of the famous character.
Templar first appeared in a series of novels and short stories by British author Leslie Charteris. Under the alias of The Saint, Templar is a Robin Hood figure who uses his espionage skills to take down criminals and corrupt politicians. He famously leaves a calling card with his distinctive logo – a stick figure with a halo.
The adventures of The Saint were particularly popular with Irish readers. So much so that The Saint made his international radio debut for Radio Athlone in 1940, with actor Terence De Marney voicing the role. In 1945 US radio networks NBC and CBS both hosted rival Saint serials with actors Edgar Barrier and Brian Aherne playing the respective leads. Vincent Price voiced the character between 1947 and 1951, when he was replaced by Tom Conway.
In 1938 The Saint made his screen debut in The Saint in New York. Louis Hayward played Templar before handing over the role to Tom Conway's brother George Sanders for five movies between 1939 and 1941. Hugh Sinclair stepped into the role for two movies in 1941. In 1953 Hayward reprised the role for a British production, The Saint's Return.
Arguably the most famous version of The Saint arrived in 1962 when Roger Moore played the character on British TV. The show ran until 1969, with Moore's iconic performance ultimately winning him the role of James Bond. In 1978 the character returned to British TV in Return of the Saint, starring Ian Ogilvy.
In the 1990s Hollywood began rehashing old TV shows and so a big screen blockbuster version of The Saint arrived in cinemas in 1997. Val Kilmer took the title role with Roger Moore popping up in a cameo.
Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Brad Krevoy will produce the upcoming reboot. Legendary producer Robert Evans will also receive a producing credit, having initiated the project before his death in 2019. The script will be penned by award-winning British playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Page broke the news by posting a gif of Roger Moore as The Saint on his Twitter feed.
— Regé-Jean Page (@regejean) July 27, 2021
Back in January, Page seemed to dismiss the idea of playing James Bond.
"I think the internet thinks a lot of things, and that's one of the more pleasant ones," he said on the Tonight Show. "I think there might be an element of cultural translation to be done here. Like if you're a Brit, and you do something of any kind of renown that people regard well, then people start saying the B-word… It's like a merit badge, like the B-word merit badge; I'm very, very glad to have the badge. I'm glad to be in such wonderful company of people who have the badge. But it's a badge."
A release date for The Saint has yet to be announced.
