MobLand

Paramount

Earlier this week, Puck News reported that after clashes with actors and producers on set, Tom Hardy was fired from the huge hit series MobLand on Paramount Plus, a show that he leads, for alleged misdeeds like being late to set or feuding with those on set.

Now, Variety is reporting that Hardy has not been fired from MobLand, and that negotiations are ongoing in terms of how to keep him around. Past that, in the wake of these dueling reports, a costar he’s meant to be feuding with just posted a message in support of the actor. Co-star Helen Mirren posted a photo of Hardy with the caption "Love you now and always, Helen.”

The goal for Paramount and producer Guy Ritchie, especially, is to make all this work without needing to write out or recast Hardy’s lead character for season 3, since season 2 was already filmed when these controversies broke. MobLand is one of Paramount’s biggest hits ever, breaking its global series launch record with 26 million viewers in its first season. Season 2, with Hardy on board, could retain or surpass that, but they wouldn’t want the show to be harmed by his absence in season 3.

Neither option would be tenable. Losing Hardy’s Harry Da Souza would overturn the whole series in a number of ways, and shows that thrive when their leads depart are few and far between (a recent example of this was Yellowstone after Kevin Costner left). In contrast, recasting a lead doesn’t go much better, and Hardy is certainly a tough presence to replicate. So securing him for another season of MobLand, possibly more than one if Paramount wants to keep its megahit running indefinitely, is essential. Though with movie stars not normally used to TV schedules and lengths, that could prove difficult regardless of any controversies.

In Hollywood, there are often PR wars fought behind the scenes, using sources to contact various insider outlets to make their case known. In this case, reporting that someone was actually fired from a show, only to have that refuted is unusual. But where we are now, from this new report to Mirren’s recent comments, suggests positive motion. Things do not appear like they’re going to escalate into Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni PR war territory, a scorched earth campaign over a lawsuit that arguably did significant harm to both, resulting in a settlement where both claimed victory.

The MobLand saga certainly doesn't seem resolved if they’re still working through it, but season 2 is in the can and is supposedly launching sometime in the fall of 2026. This comes amid Paramount's attempt to buy Warner Bros. and its streaming services, like HBO Max, where MobLand could become a powerful series across two brands that are destined to merge someday.

So, we’ll see if the star can rein it in and come to some understanding with his producers, but it may take a while yet.

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