Last week, reports began circulating that Tom Hardy had been fired from MobLand and was unlikely to return for the third season of the Paramount+ series. Well, not so fast. A new report from Variety states that Hardy was not officially fired and that discussions are underway for him to return.
What’s Going On?
The initial report stated that Hardy was having issues with writer/executive producer Jez Butterworth as well as David Glasser, leading to Hardy holding up the production and insisting on rewrites. Variety’s report cites insiders who believe there’s fault on both sides.
Hardy was reportedly unhappy because Butterworth consistently delivered scripts late, sometimes just a week before shooting. Hardy likes to have time to prepare and rehearse, so this caused issues. The actor would also suggest script changes, but Butterworth was rarely on set and couldn’t address them.
“Often his ideas are very sound,” one source said of Hardy. “And he wants them taken seriously. Jez kind of hasn’t got the time to deal with those notes, so it becomes problematic.” Another production source added, “The only people [Butterworth] really speaks to is David Glasser. Very few people on the cast or crew have anything to do with Jez. We never see him.” Another source disputed this.
Butterworth has had several other major projects on the go, including The Agency, another Paramount+ show, and Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopics. “I think Jez is basically spread too thin. He’s taken on too many jobs,” said one source.
What Will Happen?
The second season of MobLand has already been shot, but Hardy may still be needed to complete some reshoots, so it’s in the show’s best interest to resolve this situation.
However, if things don’t work out, one source believes the show could easily continue without Hardy. “I think you’d probably lose a fair amount of viewers, but I think it would be quite easy to carry on,” said the source. “I could think of ten ways they could write him out but they’re not very elegant. It’s a bit like the same way [‘Yellowstone’] got rid of Costner.“
But there’s also the question of whether Hardy, Butterworth, and Glasser actually want to work things out. Hardy was reportedly not too thrilled about returning for another season before all of this went down. “It wouldn’t surprise me if this isn’t all a lot of hot air and somebody’s overheard something, David’s thrown his toys out the pram and Tom’s thrown his toys out the pram,” said the source. “They’ve always had a very volatile relationship.“
Do you think Tom Hardy will ultimately return to MobLand?
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed