The real-life drama surrounding Paramount+ series MobLand is rumbling on, with fresh details clarifying that star Tom Hardy has not been fired from the show – but there is reportedly discontent behind the scenes.
The series, created by Top Boy’s Ronan Bennett, stars Hardy as Harry Da Souza, a ‘fixer’ for the Harrigan crime family led by the formidable Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and Maeve (Dame Helen Mirren).
While the first season was an enormous commercial success, the future of the series has been questioned amid reports of growing frustration between Hardy and head writer Jez Butterworth.
Although reports emerged last week alleging that Hardy had been fired, sources close to the show have since told Variety that the problems haven’t escalated that far just yet.
The source states that there is some truth to Hardy being “difficult” during filming, amid reports of his lateness to set, demands for rehearsal time and tendency to suggest rewrites.
On the other hand, the publication reports that Butterworth’s absence from set, due to commitments to other projects, had also caused tension – with a source suggesting he was “spread too thin”.
Variety’s account suggests that MobLand executive producer Guy Ritchie, who also directs some episodes, is better placed to manage Hardy – and call him out, at times – than less established directors.
This has allegedly caused development on episodes not directed by Ritchie to be particularly challenging.
For her part, co-star Dame Helen Mirren has attempted to stamp out speculation that she and Hardy were feuding, by sharing an Instagram photo of the actor with a caption that reads: “Love you now and always.”
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Furthermore, sources told Variety that Hardy’s lateness to set had been “frustrating” for Mirren, but their relationship had not soured as a result.
As it stands, the future remains uncertain, but Hardy had largely completed work on MobLand season 2 (besides any reshoots or audio replacement), meaning that a worst case scenario wouldn’t be felt until the confirmed third entry – although there is still hope for Hardy’s return for that too.
A source told Variety: “Tom was not fired, the door is not closed for season 3 and things are being worked through creatively.”
Radio Times has reached out to Hardy’s representatives and Paramount for comment.
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