Among a slew of criminals and gangsters populating Paramount Plus’ streaming catalog, Mobland has stood out as a hit. The show broke a record as the service’s biggest global series launch ever, with 26 million views over its first season. Critics and fans have given it high marks. But now? There’s a problem. Apparently, Mobland has just lost its star.
According to a new report from the reliable Puck News, Tom Hardy has been fired from season 3 of the series ahead of its return. Why? There are a number of listed reasons, says the story:
- Hardy was consistently late to production during season 2.
- Hardy gave frequent script notes and changed dialogue.
- Hardy was upset about the ensemble cast, including big names like Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan.
- Hardy’s behavior led producer Jez Butterworth to nearly quit, and Paramount fired Hardy as a result.
As of yet, neither Paramount or Hardy has returned request for comment on the situation. The aforementioned season 2 of Mobland is not out yet, and is set to debut in the fall of 2026, according to estimates, and it will still feature Hardy’s character, Harry Da Souza. Season 3 was already greenlit well before season 2’s upcoming release, given what a big hit the series was. But will it retain that momentum for season 2, or for a Hardy-less season 3 after that?
Granted, it’s not as if the show is lacking names. Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan play the somewhat batty Harrigan crime family leaders. I can see how Paddy Considine might be able to step in as the new full-on lead of the series as Kevin Harrigan. But all of that seems up in the air now. Regardless, it is very unlikely that Paramount would let the series die, even with such a dramatic change as Hardy leaving.
Other options would be to recast him, which does not seem out of the question, or write in a new lead character altogether. My gut tells me recasting may be in the books, and you can speculate who a Hardy-like character could be. I am reminded of Logan Marshall-Green, who looks so much like him that he’s often mistaken for the actor. But that Tom Hardy voice and accent? That’s another story altogether.
Paramount is going to have to figure this out, and we’ll see what Tom Hardy does next after this as well. No more Venom movies, likely no more Mad Max movies for him either, unfortunately.
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