Guy Ritchie Expands 'The Gentlemen' Universe to Include 'Wife & Dog'
Benedict Cumberbatch and Rosamund Pike play Upperclass Marrieds in 'Wife & Dog'
HBO/Amazon Studios
Guy Ritchie's attempt to resuscitate his would-be British Upperclass Gangster Film Franchise, The Gentlemen, has gone far better than anyone could have imagined. The original film (with the same name) debuted at the end of 2019 in the U.K.; there were high hopes for it to land as an American hit when it debuted the following March... March of 2020, that is. That was derailed, so Ritchie took the film's conceit and created a follow-up TV series for Netflix called The Gentlemen. The series proceeded to be one of Netflix's most-watched shows of 2024, garnering a renewal and now a second feature film called Wife & Dog.
The original film was a spin on the upper class titled Lords of England, a group struggling to pay for their estate upkeep since the Gilded Age. In Ritchie's world, they turn to growing cannabis to make ends meet, with a stellar cast that includes Brit favorites Charlie Hunnam (Queer as Folk), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Eddie Marsan (Ridley Road), Colin Farrell (The Penguin), and Hugh Grant (Paddington), plus Henry Golding (Persuasion), Jeremy Strong (Succession), and Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar).
The TV series focused on the next generation that inherits this dirty little secret of how the bills get paid, with Theo James (Sanditon) as a son who inherits a manor, only to discover he's a midlevel cog in a black market operation, and decides to move himself up the chain. The series is set to return with Season 2 in 2026, but before that, Ritchie will introduce a third strand to this tapestry with a second feature film: Wife & Dog.
Anthony Hopkins as Freud in 'Freud's Last Session'
Sony Pictures Classics
There's no synopsis; like many Ritchie projects, this plot is being kept quiet for as long as possible. However, the casting announcement acknowledges that Wife & Dog will see Ritchie "return to the colorful, backstabbing world of the British upper classes, doubling down on a subject he recently explored in The Gentleman film and TV series." The project was initially announced at the 2024 Cannes Market with a filming window projected for October 2024; however, it took a little longer to work out financing, and filming will commence in February 2025.
So far, the cast is all A-listers, with Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Rosamund Pike (The Wheel of Time), and Anthony Hopkins (Freud's Last Session) in the topline roles.
Ritchie wrote the screenplay and executive produces with longtime partner Ivan Atkinson, plus John Friedberg, Teddy Schwarzman, and Michael Heimler for Black Bear.
Wife & Dog is currently expected out in late 2025 or early 2026.
