Bridgerton Showrunner Hopes to Bring Back ‘All of the Leads’ in Future Seasons, Including Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor (Exclusive)
Page and Phoebe Dynevor led season 1 as Simon and Daphne, but have not been back onscreen together in six years
The Duke of Hastings hasn’t been seen in the ton for six years now, but Bridgerton fans might be in for a treat sometime soon.
Season 1 of the hit Netflix regency series starred Regé-Jean Page as Simon, the Duke, and Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton, and introduced the world to the now-beloved titular family that originated in Julia Quinn’s book series.
Page, 38, has never returned to the series, even though Dynevor, 30, came back for season 2 to help her older brother, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), navigate the marriage mart. (She did not appear in seasons 3 or 4.)
Four months after the season 1 premiere, Page revealed that he would not be reprising his role in season 2.
While Dynevor has been open about her desire to return to Bridgerton, Page has not spoken about a return. Still, in a recent interview with showrunner Jess Brownell, she tells PEOPLE that she “would love to one day have all of the leads come back.”
“I think it would be really meaningful, especially when I think forward to Hyacinth and Gregory’s story,” Brownell says of the two youngest Bridgerton siblings, as she notes that both ” Daphne and Anthony, and their partners, are such paternal/maternal figures for those younger kids.”
“So I would be very interested in trying to get some of those previous leads back for the later run of the show,” she teases.
No moves have been made yet to make that happen, though. “I haven’t spoken to Regé about that. The conversations haven’t happened, but the ideas are there,” Brownell confirms.
Of course, Anthony and his wife, Kate (Simone Ashley), have remained present in the series since leading season 2. They played a larger role in season 3, as Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) found love in his longtime friend, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan).
Anthony and Kate were absent in part 1 of season 4 as they were in India, where Kate gave birth to their first son, Edmund. But the couple returned in part 2 of season 4, and Brownell told PEOPLE that their initial absence served a greater purpose in his brother Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson)’s story.
“For Benedict in particular, it was important for Anthony to be elsewhere in part 1,” she said. His absence meant that “Benedict [had] a moment to struggle with the weight of being the second son who’s filling in for the viscount.”
“Benedict’s sense of responsibility, or lack thereof, is a bit of a runner that we’re following with Benedict’s journey,” Brownell said. “For Anthony to be in India — or later in Aubrey Hall — it allows Benedict the chance to rise or to fail.”
“With that being said, it also felt incredibly important to bring Anthony back,” she added. “Because the relationship with Benedict is so key between the first and the second [parts].”