Meghan Markle is being offered a massive “dream role” deal to return to TV in a blockbuster spinoff of her hit show Suits, senior network executives have revealed.
The Duchess of Sussex is also understood to have been offered the opportunity to make her debut as a Hollywood director on at least one episode of the legal drama’s new series.
It has been greenlit by studio giant NBCUniversal under the working title “Suits: Los Angeles” and several episodes have already been written by Meghan’s friend Aaron Korsch, who created the original show that ran for nine seasons from 2011 to 2019.
A senior production source yesterday said contract talks between the network and powerhouse talent agency WME, which represents the duchess, are continuing and added: “This is shaping up to be one of the biggest TV deals of the year.
“Meghan is in a commanding position. They want to expand a successful franchise in which she has a ready-made fan base of millions worldwide. They want her back and they are prepared to pay what it takes to get her.”
The source suggested an official announcement could follow as early as next month, with production starting on the new show soon after as studio bosses seek to cash in on massive renewed interest in Suits.
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The original series, which aired on NBCUniversal’s subsidiary USA Network, became a surprise industry sensation last year when all nine seasons became available on streaming giant Netflix in a syndication deal.
It topped America’s TV download chart for an astonishing fifteen consecutive weeks, sparking persistent rumours that Meghan might return to her role as paralegal Rachel Zane.
Asked if she might rejoin a re-formed cast, her former co-star Patrick J. Adams, who played her on-screen husband Mike Ross, said after this month’s Golden Globes: “Sure. Mike and Rachel in Seattle. (Where they ended up before Meghan left the show to marry Prince Harry). They gotta come down to LA, they gotta fix some stuff.”
Meghan, 42, ducked the direct question herself in a recent interview with Vanity Fair but gushed: “It was a great show to work on, such a great cast and crew. We had a really fun time. I was on it for seven seasons, so quite a bit.”
Daily Express US can reveal that Suits: Los Angeles will feature a female lead who bears both an uncanny resemblance to Meghan’s previous character Rachel and has been described by studio insiders as “tailor-made” and a “dream role” for the Duchess.
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An internal bio of the new character, named Erica, who works for an LA-based entertainment law firm, reads: “30s, Black, SoCal native and Harvard Law alum. She’s jockeying to be made Head of Entertainment. She’s great at closing clients but struggles elsewhere. Smarter than everyone.”
Spokespeople for both NBCUniversal and Archewell – Meghan and Prince Harry’s own production company – did not respond to email requests for comment but one studio chief has already publicly confirmed Suits: Los Angeles is being made.
“We are working on it right now,” Universal International Studios boss Beatrice Springborn told an industry conference before Christmas. She confirmed that the spinoff will be set “in the same time frame” as the original.
“It is amazing looking people in great clothes but at the core of it, you can’t have a show that’s successful with just that. It has to have great storytelling and great character work.”
