Regé-Jean Page responds to rumors that he's returning for Bridgerton season three

Get ready to have your hopes dashed again as Regé-Jean Page has set the record straight about those Bridgerton season three rumors.

After leaving the show after its first season, it looked as though we'd never see Regé reprising his role as the original Bridgerton heartthrob—that is until it was reported that he was 'in talks' to make a cameo in the next installment.

As we know from Bridgerton season one’s ending, Simon (Regé) and Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) finally sorted out their relationship issues and welcomed their first baby together—with Daphne and the couple's baby son returning for the second season. 

And while we now know that season three will focus on Colin and Penelope’s love story, a source told the Sun that there was, 'a dialogue' between Regé and producers to potentially return, though "nothing has been formally agreed yet, but watch this space.”

Alas, Regé has now responded to these claims on Instagram—following his reunion with season two's protagonist, Viscount Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) that only fuelled the speculation.

Sharing a stylish snap of the pair of them, he wrote: "No, I’m not going back to the show btw—the papers made that one up. But we had the best, and most stylish, catch up I’ve had in a while over some truly excellent Italian coffee and sunshine." We're heartbroken all over again!

On a positive note though, you can still catch the actor on your screens as he's starred alongside Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling in Netflix’s The Gray Man—with rumors he's even in the running as the new 007. 

Plus, this news doesn't mean he will never return to Bridgerton—if the books are anything to go by that is...

Could Regé-Jean Page return to Bridgerton?

If we look to the original Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn, The Duke and Duchess of Hastings go on to have five children—though this is one of the examples where the Bridgerton series and books differ. 

In the first book the 'Duke and I'—the couple welcome their first child, a girl who they name Amelia, followed by two more daughters, Belinda and Caroline and two sons, David and Edward (all named alphabetically of course, like the Bridgerton brood.)

While this is different from the show so far, it does mean there is scope for more little Hastings babies and a lot of storyline opportunities for the showrunners to work with.

So fingers crossed there is a glimmer of hope that we could see Regé return one day—just not for season three it seems!