Following reports that Venom star Tom Hardy has been fired from Paramount+'s MobLand, The Hollywood Reporter (via ActioNewz.com) has shared additional insights. That includes confirmation that the actor's fate "is yet to be decided."
As previously reported, Hardy did indeed clash with producers on the series, including executive producer Jez Butterworth and others at David Glasser's 101 Studios. While MobLand Season 3 is tentatively scheduled to begin production in the UK this September, it hasn't been greenlit yet, and that may be at least part of why there's tension between the two sides.
As for Hardy's on-set behaviour, one source says, "He refused to come out of his trailer for hours at a time. He kept the cast waiting, [which is] a power play. Keeping Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and others waiting is career suicide, I would wager."
The actor, who plays Harry Da Souza in MobLand, has a reputation for being hard to work with, following well-publicised clashes with Charlize Theron on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road. Sir Patrick Stewart has also addressed Hardy's habit of keeping himself to himself on set after they co-starred in Star Trek: Nemesis.
A previous Puck News report alleged that Hardy tried to alter dialogue and give script notes to Butterworth and MobLand creator Ronan Bennett. Those specific claims remain unverified.
The show has been a hit for Paramount+, and while it was initially said that Hardy has not been asked back for Season 3, follow-up reports suggested that was premature. Based on this latest update, it's clear a final decision has not been made. Whether Hardy would even want to come back is hard to say, especially as someone had to leak this information about his on-set behaviour.
Career suicide? Hardy remains a huge star, and despite mixed reviews, starred in a billion-dollar franchise with the Venom movies. It seems doubtful, then, that any studio would turn down the opportunity to work with him based on the contents of this report alone.
MobLand stars Hardy (Venom: The Last Dance), Brosnan (Die Another Day), and Mirren (The Queen), in a story about two mob families who clash in a war that threatens to topple empires and lives.
The star-studded cast is rounded out by Paddy Considine (House Of The Dragon), Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey), Lara Pulver (Da Vinci's Demons), Anson Boon (Pistol), Mandeep Dhillon (CSI: Vegas), Jasmine Jobson (Top Boy), Geoff Bell (Top Boy), Daniel Betts (Fate: The Winx Saga), Lisa Dwan (Blackshore) and Emily Barber (Industry).
After soaring to 26 million viewers as of last June, the Paramount+ original series, which is also the #2 most-watched original series on the service, was renewed for Season 2.
MobLand was created and written by Ronan Bennett (Top Boy, The Day of the Jackal), executive produced by David C. Glasser (101 Studios) and written by Jez Butterworth (Ford v Ferrari, Spectre). The series also marks Butterworth’s second hit TV series, following The Agency: Central Intelligence, which also streams on Paramount+