Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen film released in 2020 is getting a TV spin-off adaptation. The TV series comes with the same title and features a new set of characters. Is The Gentlemen based on a book? What is its source material? Here's what we know.
Spoiler Warning: This article includes spoilers for The Gentlemen TV series, so proceed with caution.
What is The Gentlemen (2024) Series About?
Although The Gentlemen is a spin-off series of Guy Ritchie's 2020 film, the story and the characters are completely new.
This spin-off series follows the story of the Duke of Halstead, Eddie Horniman (played by Theo James), who suddenly becomes part of the criminal world.
Despite being the estranged son of an English aristocrat, Eddie inherits his father's country estate, including Bobby Glass' (played by Ray Winstone) cannabis empire in London's East End.
At first, Eddie doesn't want in on his father's criminal activities. But after playing the dangerous game with gangsters, Eddie gets hooked. And in the words of its creator, Guy Ritchie, this is "where all the fun lies."
Will Eddie survive this "evolution from zoo to jungle?"
Is The Gentlemen Based on a Book?
With such a vast storyline, we can't help but wonder if The Gentlemen is based on a book. But as discovered, neither the 2020 film nor the 2024 series are based on a book.
When Ritchie was promoting the film, he was asked what inspired him to create The Gentlemen.
As the director/writer explained, the original The Gentlemen movie was loosely inspired by his earlier film, Snatch.
Ritchie said in an interview that The Gentlemen film is "a return to my roots. It's on that frequency, but 20 years later. So everyone evolves – well, hopefully evolves."
So Is It a Reboot of the 2020 Film?
No, Netflix's The Gentlemen series is a spin-off series based on the film.
This means that while the two are set in the same universe, they are not connected in any way. We also don't know if the two are set in the same timeline or have a little difference.
Ritchie explains:
"It’s a sojourn into aristocrats meeting world gangsters. The world is exactly the same. The aristocrats have got brilliant houses, lots of land but they don’t have any cash to live on. That’s why in our story the aristocrats are putting skunk farms in their back gardens. The show is about the transition, the evolution from zoo to jungle and how to hunt in the jungle to survive. If you like my sort of worlds, you should like this one.
Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen spin-off series is making its premiere on Netflix on March 7, 2024.
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