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Regé-Jean Page announces first movie after quitting Bridgerton 

Meet the new Simon Templar 

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Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
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Regé-Jean Page has revealed that he is set to star in the film adaptation of the crime novellas, The Saint. The actor is set to play Simon Templar, and will also serve as executive producer on the project. 

MORE: Bridgerton reveals first look at season two - and we can't wait

The film follows Simon, a professional thief known as ‘the Saint’. The stories have been adapted for television and film several times, including a 1997 film adaptation starring Val Kilmer. 

WATCH: The Duke of Hasting's spoon in Bridgerton has a fan following

The news was announced a few months after Regé broke hearts around the world after confirming that he would not be returning to Bridgerton as the dashing Duke of Hastings, in the role that propelled him to worldwide fame. 

Chatting to Variety about leaving the show, he said: "Simon was this bomb of a one-season antagonist, to be reformed and to find his true self through Daphne. I think one of the bravest things about the romance genre is allowing people a happy ending.”

MORE: Every single one of the Bridgerton siblings' love stories

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The show’s producer, Shonda Rhimes, opened up about her surprise in regards to the passionate reaction to his exit, saying: “Usually that happens when I've killed off somebody that's been around for a while. Like, we didn't kill him, he's still alive!

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We look forward to seeing him in The Saint

"[Regé-Jean] is a powerful, amazing actor and that meant we did our job — every season, our job is finding the right people and putting together this incredible, world-shifting romance. I don't know that I expected this much of an explosion, given that every book [in the Bridgerton series] is a different romance. 

“What would be the ever-after of this combo? I mean, really: What would Regé-Jean do, you know what I mean? We gave them their happily ever after! And now we have this next couple coming. And so yeah, I was like, whoa!"

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