The ending that Guy Ritchie chose for the second season of his series “The Gentleman” suggests that there is a next episode ready to be shown. However, the British director preferred for the audience to comment on the fiery ropes of the final episode, waiting for a third season, which is currently being written.
It has become certain that the suspense and black comedy series will return to the Netflix screen, but the news surrounding this anticipated return, which says that Meghan Markle is among the cast, appears to be devoid of accuracy. According to a group of journalists familiar with the scenes of preparation, and based on a statement by the hero of the series himself, the participation of Prince Harry’s wife and the Duchess of Sussex in the third season was nothing more than a bubble in the air. It is said that Ritchie backed out of including her among the stars, after the information sparked anger and criticism from the British, who do not like Markle and consider “The Gentleman” among their best television productions in recent years.
The adventure of soap operas appeals to Richie
Once it returns for a second season and announces a third, it's clear that Guy Ritchie finds joy in directing series. Coming from 28 years of cinema and more than 15 films, “The Gentleman” was for him his first television experience in writing, producing and directing.
It is true that Ritchie adhered to the rules of digital platforms in terms of the number of episodes and seasons, but he brought a lot of his film school to “The Gentleman.” The series is originally based on one of his films with the same title, and its story is not strange to the world of crime and gangs in which Ritchie is known. In appearance, like the British director's films, the series is characterized by its fast suspenseful pace, focus on multiple and eccentric characters, in addition to sometimes exaggeration in bloodiness.
From peacekeeper to marijuana manufacturer
In the first season, which aired in 2024, the audience got to know “Eddie” and “Freddie,” the two aristocratic brothers who share a heavy, controversial, and problematic legacy.
Against his will, Eddie, who was an officer in the international peacekeeping forces on the Syrian-Turkish border, found himself at the head of a hashish factory. Under his family's mansion in the English countryside, there are corridors in which the narcotic herb grows and is manufactured in preparation for trafficking. The project is run by Susie Glass, the daughter of a British mob boss. While Eddie is busy solving his brother's many crises, including debts, addiction, and suspicious relationships with criminals, he gradually turns into one of the heads of the drug gang, alongside Susie and her father.
What's in Season 2 of "The Gentleman"?
In the second season, whose 8 episodes began showing on Netflix two days ago, Eddie returns, less hesitant and more confident and authoritative than before. Amidst the notable absence of his troublesome brother, Freddy, he is almost alone in the scene. However, his partner Susie appears again to share the light and the plot with him, while preserving that hidden chemistry that brings them together and is subject to vibration in this season.
Eddie wants to re-expand the family estate and buy the land adjacent to the mansion. He has dreams of power. With his unbalanced imagination this season, he imagines himself sitting on the throne of England with the crown above his head. But he is forced to settle for a seat in the House of Lords, without which there are many obstacles.
Eddie Season 2 is nothing like the previous season. It is inhabited by ambitions, greed, and expansionist plans in the field of trafficking in the prohibited herb. What is the only way to achieve all of this except more professionalism in suspicious deals, violence and bloodshed?
With the entry of the Italian Mafia into the events, it almost turns into a miniature version of “Don Corleone” in “The Godfather,” or at least into a local version of “Tommy Shalabi” in the “Peaky Blinders” series. There is no doubt that actor Theo James gives a solid and attractive performance as Eddie in this season, but the series remains restricted to the framework of a black comedy that wants a new identity for itself, oscillating between crime and drama.
Among Eddie and Susie's expansion plans is to establish hashish factories under ancient palaces in southern Italy. This cannot happen without cooperation with Italian mafia networks. The entry of the Italians into the line imposes more overlapping secondary plots, which means a transition from one story to another and from one character to another to the point of losing the cohesion of the main plot. But on the other hand, Ricci excels in portraying Italian elegance with a touch of romance that attempts to alleviate the severity of the successive chases and crimes.
But where is Freddy?
Whoever watched the first season of “The Gentlemen” will not spend a few minutes of the second before wondering about the absence of the naughty, funny and astonished brother “Freddy.”
Actor Daniel Ings disappears this season into what looks like secondary appearances. He is in a sanatorium for treatment for his drug addiction, and it seems that he has entered a period of serenity and peace infused with faith. This semi-absence does not pass without casting a shadow on the series, as Freddy was the heart of the movement in the first season. However, it is gradually returning to the forefront. This return goes in parallel with the rhythm of events, which do not reach a peak of suspense until the middle of the sixth episode. The final episode is the basis and promises a lot for what awaits the audience in the third season.
The “Red Sea Fund”, affiliated with the “Red Sea Film Festival” Foundation in Saudi Arabia, continues to consolidate its presence on the map of international festivals, with 18 cinematic works that received its support at the “Venice” festivals in Italy, held during the period from September 2 to 12, and “Toronto” in Canada, which begins on September 10 of this year.
The Red Sea Film Foundation’s participation in the official selection of the Venice Festival is divided into several sections. The film “A Dialogue with the Sea” by director Moayad Alyan and the film “Guria” by director Levan Kuguashvili participate in the “Under the Lights of Venice” section, while the film “House of the Wind” by director August Bernard Quimo Yangho competes in the “Horizons” competition.
The Foundation’s presence extends to the “Venice Bridge Productions”, the festival’s industry platform, through a number of projects participating in its programmes, including “Solar Portrait” by director Asmaa Al-Moudair, “Holiday” by director Wissam Sharaf, and “Children of the Ghoula” by director Ismail Al-Iraqi, all of which are supported by the “Red Sea Fund” and the “Red Sea Market”, within the “Supplementary Financing Market in Venice.”
The Foundation’s support is also present in the “Final Cut of Venice” program, where 5 out of 6 participating films are supported by the “Red Sea Film Foundation”, which are “From Quarter to Thursday” by Sofia Jama, “Eldorado: A Taste of the South” by Aladdin El-Jem, “Mihal Safari” by Abraham Gizahun, “Occupation and Condition” by Basil Ghandour, and “Affliction” by Youssef Al-Chebbi.
At the Toronto International Film Festival, 7 films that were supported by the Foundation will be presented as part of the Center Peace program in its 51st session, which are “An Unknown Girl” by director Jing Zhu, “Benimana” by Marie-Clémentine Dosabegambo, “A Dialogue with the Sea” by Moayed Alyan, “The Four Seasons in Java” by Camila Andini, “Sumsum... The Starry Night” by Muhammad Al-Saleh Haroun, and “The Violinist” by Irvin Hahn. Raul Garcia, and “We Are All Strangers” by Anthony Chen.
The head of the Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden, Muhammad Qiblawi, said that the remarkable presence of works supported by the Red Sea Fund reflects an important development in the Fund’s influence, especially with the diversity of films and projects, and their distribution among festival sections and various industry programs.
He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the importance of this attendance does not stop at the number, but rather lies in its geographical extension, as the Fund’s support is not limited to Arab cinema, but rather includes experiences from Africa and Asia, which gives voices and talents from these regions greater opportunities to reach international partners, markets and platforms.”
He pointed out that the true value of this support appears in its impact on the path of films, from development and production, to access to major festivals, considering that this approach represents a long-term investment in a more sustainable film industry, and enhances the presence of Arab, African and Asian cinema on the global map.
The President of the International Federation of Critics (FIPRES), critic Ahmed Shawqi, confirmed that the “Red Sea Fund” has transformed, within a few years, into one of the most important bodies supporting cinema in the region, after it began focusing on the Arab world and Africa, and then expanded its scope to include Asia, so that today it covers a wide geographical area and a large group of talents. He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The fund is not limited to one stage, but rather extends its support to the stages of development, production and post-production, which gives it greater ability to support films from their beginnings until their completion.”
Shawky adds: “This geographical spread intersects with the growing interest of major festivals in Arab, African and Asian cinema, which seeks broader representation of these regions within their programmes. Therefore, supporting talents and films coming from these environments is naturally reflected in their presence in international festivals.”
An opinion supported by Kuwaiti critic Abdul Sattar Naji, who told Asharq Al-Awsat that “The Red Sea” has become one of the most prominent bridges of communication between Arab cinema and the global cinema scene, stressing that “this experience presents a different image of the Arab person, through a solid cultural presence that goes beyond the stereotypes that have remained for decades associated with Arabs and Muslims, and gives the world an opportunity to learn about an Arab contribution based on creativity, openness, and interaction with different cultures.”
Meanwhile, Egyptian critic Mohamed Abdel Rahman points out that the importance of the Red Sea Fund is not measured only by the number of films it has supported, but rather by the change it has brought about in the relationship between Arab film and its position on the global cinematic map. The Fund, according to what he told Asharq Al-Awsat: “does not deal with film as a product that needs financing only, but rather as a voice that needs to find its way to its audience, which makes the support part of a broader system for creating opportunities and creating new paths for cinematic production, which has been searching for a window for a long time.” International festivals and markets.
He adds that the repeated presence of films supported by the “Red Sea” in international festivals provides significance that goes beyond the success of each film individually. “The accumulation of these contributions means that there is a generation of films and directors that now has a real opportunity to enter international cinema circles.”
The urgent measures and movements announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to protect the ancient Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque from sewage did not prevent Egyptian archaeologists’ concerns about the continued leakage of sewage into it. Which exposes it to dangers, if decisive measures are not taken to protect the archaeological mosque.
The mosque, which was built by the governor of Egypt and the founder of the Tulunid state in 265 AH (879 AD) on the top of Mount Yashkar, was part of the city of Al-Qata’i, which he built as the capital of his nascent state, to confirm his independence from the Abbasid Caliphate. It is distinguished by its twisted or wraparound minaret that reflects the style of the Al-Abbas Mosque in Samarra (Iraq). The arches and windows overlooking the courtyard of the mosque also contain geometric and floral plaster decorations. The fountain designated for ablution is located at the midpoint of the courtyard of the mosque, topped with a dome supported on marble columns. It is considered one of the most prominent Islamic monuments in the Sayyida Zeinab neighborhood in central Cairo.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the problem occurred as a result of a blockage in some sewage pipes in the area. This led to water accumulating in the mosque’s “Zayda”, which is an area located behind it.
Antiquities restoration consultant Dr. Farouk Sharaf believes that “water cannot reach the Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque except through a neighboring mosque, the Sargumsh Mosque. The Ibn Tulun Mosque had undergone a restoration and protection process at the time the artist Farouk Hosni assumed responsibility for the Ministry of Culture. The supervisors of its restoration took care to create 4 inspection chambers to collect rainwater on the four sides of its courtyard.”
He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “As for the Sarghtamsh Mosque, the Ministry at that time restored it. It is a Mamluk masterpiece, and one of the most beautiful mosques of the Mamluk Bahri era. It is located on Saliba Street, where the Ibn Tulun Mosque is located. It has been restored and its courtyard has been completely insulated, to protect it from the waters coming from the Kabsh Castle.” The idea, according to Sharaf, “was to divert the water discharged from the top of the mountain to the public sewers in the street, and thus the water that flowed continuously was disposed of after diverting it to the drainage pipes.”
He also pointed out that “the danger of water accumulation lies in not draining it, and this represents a major danger to the archaeological site. As for the issue of water accumulation behind the Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque, which is built on a mountainous area, its dangers come from the salts that live in the stone after drying the water, which cannot enter the mosque except through the courtyard exposed to the air. To avoid this, it was included in the restoration plan to create inspection chambers to collect water on its sides, whose mission is to withdraw water, especially during rain, and drain it outside.
The explanatory statement regarding the immediate measures taken to deal with a pool of water in the Qalaat al-Kabsh area behind the archaeological mosque of Ibn Tulun, represented by pushing water suction vehicles, and taking the necessary technical measures to clear the pipes and deal with the situation, to preserve the archaeological area and its safety.
The Mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun is considered the second oldest surviving mosque in Egypt, and one of the largest mosques in area. Its total area - including the increments - is more than 26 thousand square metres. It is distinguished by its perpendicular layout, which is a traditional layout for the major mosques of the Abbasid era. It consists of an open square court with a water bath in the middle, established in the Mamluk era, surrounded by 4 corridors, the largest of which is the Qibla corridor on the eastern side, and includes 5 rows. of columns, while the other three sides consist of only two porticoes each. The mosque is surrounded by an external wall on 3 sides (north, south, and west), separating it from the building by an open space known as the ziyada, which is an architectural feature known in the mosques of Samarra and Sousse as well.
