FANS of former football legend Vinnie Jones got a little worried last week when his name didn’t pop up on the cast list for the second series of The Gentlemen.
The actor was back to his hardman best in the first outing of Guy Ritchie’s gangster series as Halstead Manor gamekeeper Geoff Seacombe, hiding some seriously dark secrets on the country estate.
But I can reveal that Vinnie WILL be reprising his role in the sequel, which will be one of the dramas that Netflix showcases at this week’s Edinburgh TV Festival.
A telly insider said: “Netflix didn’t announce Vinnie as part of the cast for series two because the deal to sign him up was still being finalised.
“He always wanted to be part of the programme. The problem was that he is so busy making new TV shows that it was proving difficult fitting in all his work.
“Thankfully he managed to make it happen and he’s looking forward to appearing in The Gentlemen again — just as fans of the show will be.”
It’s a busy old time for the actor, who is making a second series of Vinnie Jones In The Country for Discovery+.
On top of that, he’s got a Netflix documentary in the pipeline, in which he looks back at his time playing football for Wimbledon’s notorious “Crazy Gang”.
Last week, the streaming giant announced The Gentlemen sequel, confirming my story from April when I revealed talks were under way to make the follow-up — if they could get the busy cast back together.
Theo James, Kaya Scodelario and Daniel Ings were all confirmed to be returning when filming starts next year, and Netflix bosses had promised: “Additional casting news for season two will be announced at a later date.”
All in good time, gentlemen, please . . .
HISTORIAN Dan Snow will head to Pompeii for a new Channel 5 series that delves into the time capsules left behind by the eruption, highlighting the daily lives of the ancient Romans.
Life & Death In Pompeii sees Dan joined by specialist Jasmine Elmer as they uncover the real-life stories.
WRITER Jack Rooke is working on the third and final series of Big Boys – and he’s revealed the surprise project he wants to tackle next.
The creator of the hit Channel 4 comedy told the Edinburgh TV Festival: “I’m so conscious of saying this at a TV festival, but I’d really like to do a feature film and explore directing.
“I would love to write a gangster film – that is my dream.”
Despite the fact Jack is known for the autobiographical Big Boys, which tells the story of a gay man and a straight man who are best pals, he insists making LGBTQ projects is not his priority.
Jack said: “My priority is writing stuff that’s good, that tells a story I find interesting. I don’t feel I need to pigeonhole or shoo-in anything.”
NEW Channel 4 show Make That Movie, starring Taskmaster comic Sam Campbell, will see the Aussie joker scouring the UK for people who have a great idea for a feature film.
It’s produced by award-winning Blink Industries, and sees Sam’s team turning the idea into a movie in three days.
LEONARD COHEN is the subject of a new ITV drama series portraying his life story.
The sing-songwriter’s dramatic romance with Norwegian author Marianne Ihlen will play out on screen in the series, So Long, Marianne.
It’s just one of the ITV shows alongside Anna Maxwell Martin’s Until I Kill You, about the true tale of Delia Balmer, who survived a near-fatal union with murderer John Sweeney.
Elsewhere, The Real Fatal Attraction will tell the story of a woman’s terrifying revenge plot against her ex-lover.
And Twisted Twins looks at the bond between twins in true cases that saw pairs act together and against each other in vile crime sprees.
HE’S griped about actors being objectified on screen but in his new show, Kit Harington couldn’t wait to lose his, er, kit.
In the third series of bonking and banking drama Industry, the Game Of Thrones hunk plays a businessman who is constantly stripping off for steamy scenes.
At the Edinburgh TV Festival, show creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay said Kit did not have to be asked twice.
Mickey revealed: “It didn’t take much persuading. He was like, ‘Can I get naked?’ ”
Konrad added : “He’s very proud of it (his body) and rightly so.”
The duo also revealed that in the new series, Kit’s character – tellingly called Henry Muck – indulges in a particularly sensational sex scene, right, which involves getting very wet.
I won’t spoil the shock before it airs on BBC One this autumn.
