When Bridgerton first catapulted itself onto our screens, viewers became absolutely besotted with the love story of Daphne and Simon. Played by Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page respectfully, the show championed the idea of colour-blind casting in the mainstream, creating a world that was progressive and lusty despite its 1800s landscape.
Watching the 'Wildest Dreams' montage over and over again (and over... and over), the show captured our hearts and made us fall in love with Regency England.
But at the conclusion of Season One, Regé-Jean Page shocked viewers when he announced in April 2021 that he would not be reprising his role as Duke Simon Basset. "I signed up to do a job, and I did the job, and then I did some other jobs," he told Vanity Fair. "That's it... We finished the story."
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Page's departure from the show also had run-on effects for Phoebe Dynevor, who despite having an ongoing role in the novels, had limited appearances in Season Two — and doesn't appear at all in Season Three — largely because it was just weird for Dynevor's character Daphne to be appearing by herself all the time, despite being allegedly happily married.
The move has had fans questioning whether a recast of Simon is on the cards — with Page himself even endorsing the move when he told Variety: "They're free to do as they like."
However, despite fans' enthusiasm at the concept of recasting, Bridgerton's new showrunner Jess Brownell has confirmed that they will not be recasting the character of Simon.
"There's no recasting happening," Brownell tells Refinery29 Australia. "Regé-Jean Page is forever our Simon."
"In my mind, Simon and Daphne are there," she continues. "We don't see every moment in the Bridgerton's lives. Like, they're going to visit them, they're all getting together as a family — it's just not what you see on camera. So they still exist in the world."
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