Warning: Bodyguard spoilers ahead.
UPDATE: This story was originally published on October 29 at 2:55 p.m.
Well, it looks like we're one step closer to Bodyguard season 2 coming to a Netflix screen near you.
The Golden Globe-nominated British thriller's star Richard Madden suggested as much, telling the Daily Mail in November 2018 he’ll be talking to Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio very soon about more episodes. “I’m having a conversation with [Mercurio] in about ten days or something, when I’m back in the country, and we are just going to chat through some ideas,” David Budd’s portrayer confirmed.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
“We never intended to make another one and I don’t know, I’m excited to see what he’s got, especially because David had quite a busy couple of months. So what do we do with him next?”
Now we know exactly when Madden and Mercurio will be talking about what's next for David Budd: Friday, December 7, a day after Bodyguard received two huge Golden Globes nominations. Madden was nominated for Best Actor In Drama while Bodyguard muscled its way into the very tough Best Drama category.
“We’re meeting tomorrow,” Madden confirmed to Entertainment Weekly on the morning of his Globe nomination. “And we’ll know then if [a new season is] going to happen or not.”
When EW suggested the awards love will only improve the prospects of a Bodyguard season 2, the Game Of Thrones alum admitted, “Probably.”
While Madden once joked a nice “pina colada”-filled beach vacation might be what the anxiety-ridden David deserves, that’s not exactly what we should expect for Bodyguard season 2. Keep reading to find out what breadcrumbs Mercurio has dropped about David’s future in his BBC-turned-Netflix blockbuster.
Original story follows.
The ending of British sensation Bodyguard season 1, originally a BBC thriller before Netflix acquired the rights to stream the series to the rest of the world, is fairly final. In the political drama’s sixth episode, viewers get every single one of their questions answered and leading man David Budd (Richard Madden) is given the closest thing he can have to a happy ending. The bodyguard starts receiving the PTSD counseling he so desperately needs and begins reconciling with his wife Vicky (Sophie Rundle).
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Despite this tidy ending, Bodyguard fans will probably still be desperate for season 2 of the Brit adventure. Where else will you get the kind of thrill ride where the main character wakes up with a bomb strapped to his chest and then has to wear it for the next 43 minutes of television? And through the streets of a major metropolitan city, no less?
Well it appears the Bodyguard team is all set for a second season, even for American viewers. Since Netflix was involved with the show's production from its earliest stages, it's likely the streaming service will continue to be involved in any future episodes as well, and their distribution. The only problem seems to be Bodyguard's breakout star’s schedule.
Richard Madden has been in the international public eye for almost a decade, since he was introduced to American audiences as Game Of Thrones’ ill-fated Red Wedding victim, Robb Stark. After getting brutally murdered on HBO, Madden was literally Prince Charming in the live-action Cinderella movie, led a few series with little buzz, and played a DJ.
But none of those roles pushed the Thrones alum past the level of “Oh, that’s Robb Stark” fame… until Bodyguard, a show that inspired headlines like “Bodyguard Finale Was Most Watched Drama TV Episode Since Records Began.” In less than a month, 17.1 million people in the UK watched the drama’s finale, according to The Independent.
So, Bodyguard’s creator Jed Mercurio is rightly worried his star, the face of Bodyguard and all its success, has become too famous to actually have time to return to the world of David Budd.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
“[Madden’s] the genuine article, a real leading man. And I think this role has put him very much in the spotlight for bigger things,” Mercurio told the UK’s Radio Times last month in the midst of Bodyguard mania. “So the practicality may be that we have to work round his availability, if we are lucky enough to get him back.”
In that same interview, Mercurio confirmed he wouldn’t want to kill off David Budd in the Bodyguard world, so that means he needs Madden for any possible second season.
Yet, the writer isn’t wrong when he says finding time in his leading man’s schedule might be difficult. Madden just wrapped filming next year’s dreamy musical Elton John biopic Rocketman since June, and is now, according to many British publications, one of the leading contenders to play James Bond once Daniel Craig hangs up his tuxedo. In fact, Express claims Madden is now more likely to be the next 007 than longtime favorite option Tom Hiddleston.
At least it sounds like Mercurio is already starting work on a possible season 2, no matter how busy Richard Madden is. "We're just beginning that conversation with the BBC," he told British morning show This Morning in September. "We know that people out there are loving [season 1] and that there would be an appetite for [season 2], but we'll just have to wait and see."
Those BBC “conversations” have apparently gone well, as Mercurio also told nightly news program Newsnight, “We’re very grateful for the support we’ve had from the BBC all through the process. So I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to move forward with the BBC if there is a second series.”
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Mercurio seems so confident about the possibility of Bodyguard's sophomore year, he’s even tweeted a joke about British presenter Susanna Reid of Good Morning Britain appearing in “series” 2 (the Brits say “series” instead of season).
If we're lucky enough to get a second series, maybe instead of the politician appearing on Andrew Marr, they'll do GMB instead ...
— Jed Mercurio (@jed_mercurio) September 12, 2018
Season 2, series 2, part 2 — Jed Mercurio can call it whatever he wants as long as we get more Bodyguard.
Looking for more theories, recaps, and insider info on all things TV? Join our Facebook group, Binge Club. The community is a space for you to share articles, discuss last night’s episode of your favorite show, or ask questions! Join here.