Deadline reports that Regé-Jean Page has found his first major starring role since his breakout lead in the Netflix series Bridgerton. Sources reveal that Page will star and executive produce a new, reimagined version of The Saint for Paramount Pictures.
This version is inspired by the book series written by Leslie Charteris, which follows the adventures of a Robin Hood-esque criminal and thief for hire named Simon Templar through the 1920s. The plot details for this feature are under wraps for now, but Deadline indicates that insiders have said it will take on a new perspective that reimagines the character and the world around him entirely.
It’s also unclear at this time if Dexter Fletcher, who is currently working on Paramount TV Studios’ The Offer for Paramount+, will direct The Saint. Kwame Kwei-Armah is writing the script, whose credits include the Spike Lee musical All Rise, Liberty Road, and Amazon’s Marked Man. He is a renowned playwright, with works that won him the Best Newcomer on the West and the prestigious Ramsey Award.
Emma Watts, Paramount Motion Picture Group’s president, has been eager to recruit Page for some time after his work on Bridgerton, casting him alongside Chris Pine in its untitled Dungeons & Dragons movie. Following the news that he will not be returning for the second season, Watts went ahead to find the right project for Page. According to Deadline, those close to him said that The Saint quickly became his top Paramount project that he wanted to take on.
Followed by Bridgerton and Dungeons and Dragons, Page wrapped production on the Netflix film The Gray Man opposite Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.
Page was a favorite in the Bridgerton series, but stay tuned for his role as the charming thief Simon Templar in The Saint!