Tom Hardy was not fired from “MobLand,” Variety has confirmed.
Despite rumors swirling since last week that the actor would not return for a third season, sources confirmed discussions are underway to find a way for Hardy (who plays gangster Harry Da Souza in the Paramount+ show) to come back.
“Tom was not fired, the door is not closed for Season 3 and things are being worked through creatively,” a source close to production told Variety.
The show, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren as the heads of a British crime family, was co-created by Ronan Bennett and Jez Butterworth and is produced by David Glasser‘s 101 Studios, along with MTV Entertainment Studios. Guy Ritchie is an executive producer and directed a number of episodes across both seasons.
Season 1 of “MobLand” dropped in 2025 and fast became one of the most-watched shows on Paramount+. Season 2 has wrapped but is yet to launch, while Season 3 was set to go into production — with Hardy reprising his role as Da Souza — this fall.
“I’m sure Guy is probably pushing David Glasser to make it work,” a production source told Variety. “Guy likes working with Tom.”
Reports Hardy would not be returning for Season 3 after falling out with Butterworth and Glasser first appeared in Puck. Variety understands the tensions were real, but that Hardy was not officially fired and the trio are currently trying to resolve their creative differences.
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The cause of the fallout is a combination of factors, including reports of Hardy’s tardiness on set and insistence on re-writing some of the script, multiple sources confirmed to Variety. But insiders note that there is apparently fault on both sides. “He’s difficult, but he’s a movie star,” a second production source said. Others pointed out that the tensions could have been amicably resolved sooner, but the leaks from production “sources” alleging that Hardy has been fired have inflamed the situation, and are causing this drama to drag on.
Per sources, Hardy was displeased because Butterworth was delivering scripts late, sometimes just a week before shooting — which clashed with the star’s ability to rehearse (“Tom likes to prepare,” the second source said).
Butterworth was also not present on set, meaning he could not deal with script issues as they arose. “The only people [Butterworth] really speaks to is David Glasser,” said the production source. “Very few people on the cast or crew have anything to do with Jez. We never see him.” (The other production source disputed this, saying Hardy has been present on weekly Zoom meetings with Butterworth and Glasser).
However, Butterworth’s absence on set proved difficult when Hardy requested the occasional script change. “Often his ideas are very sound,” the source said of Hardy. “And he wants them taken seriously. Jez kind of hasn’t got the time to deal with those notes, so it becomes problematic.”
Besides “MobLand,” Butterworth has been working on another Paramount+ show, “The Agency,” plus Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles biopics. (Variety understands that Butterworth was also not present on the set of “The Agency” Season 2 as it was shooting last year.)
“I think Jez is basically spread too thin. He’s taken on too many jobs,” the second source said. A rep for Butterworth did not respond to multiple emails from Variety.
On the episodes directed by Ritchie, Butterworth’s absence wasn’t as problematic because Ritchie has the authority – and experience – to fix a script on the fly. “Having said that, he doesn’t do it very often,” the second source added. “Jez’s stuff is pretty bloody good.”
Butterworth’s absence became more difficult when Ritchie passed the baton to the rotating cast of directors, of which there were three on Season 1. At that point, if Hardy had an issue with a script, “the director can’t suddenly turn around and go ‘Well let’s re-write the scene,’ because they don’t have that authority,” the source explained.
They also didn’t have much authority over Hardy either. “He’s used to dealing with some of the best directors in the world,” the source said of the actor. “So when he suddenly has a jobbing TV director, he struggles and to a certain extent he can walk all over them because they’re intimidated by him.”
Ritchie isn’t intimated by Hardy — and consequently, “he’s better behaved with Guy,” the source said. The duo also have a longstanding relationship, dating back to Ritchie’s 2008 film “RocknRolla,” in which Hardy appeared. Hardy trusts Ritchie to get the shot and make it work in the edit while Ritchie can tell him to “stop fucking about” and Hardy will take it “in good heart,” the source said.
Their rapport is in contrast to relations between Hardy and Glasser. “I think [Hardy] probably personality-wise with struggles with the David Glasser-type of Hollywood producer dynamic,” said the source. “David’s a tough guy. He’s a very fair guy but he’s a tough guy.”
Glasser runs a tight ship and effectively lost patience with Hardy’s requests for re-writes as well as the tardiness, which saw Brosnan and Mirren left to wait “for ages” until Hardy arrived on set, according to a third source familiar with Hardy’s conduct in Season 1. “David is not prepared to be held to ransom by an actor, even if it’s the leading actor. He has a track record for dealing with this kind of stuff,” the second source said.
While Hardy’s lateness was “frustrating” for Mirren and Brosnan – “any actor is frustrated when they’re made to wait a couple of hours,” the second source said – there was specifically no friction between Mirren and Hardy.
“I know she’s said to him a couple of times, ‘Come on Tom, we’ve been here for ages, let’s get on with it,’ but she’s never appeared to be anti-Tom,” the source said.
They dismissed any suggestion that the actors have fallen out over politics. “I’ve never heard of anything political,” the source said, sounding surprised by the suggestion. “I think that’s probably wildly unhelpful and untrue.” The first source close to the show also categorically shut down the rumors, saying they were unfounded and not true of Mirren’s nature.
“Helen is not that sort of person,” the second source agreed. “If she had a problem with Tom, she would have said to his face, ‘Look come on, let’s just stop wasting everyone else’s time and let’s get on with it.’ But that’s probably as far as it went. She’s not the sort of person who’s going to get involved in a whole political situation. She just isn’t. She certainly isn’t going to be one who stamps her feet and says ‘Well I’m not coming back if he’s in it.’ It’s just not her.”
(Mirren’s rep did not respond to multiple emails but after this story published the actor posted a photo of Hardy on her Instagram page, writing over it: “Love you now and always helen”.)
While the second source acknowledged that Hardy has long had a reputation for being difficult (Charlize Theron famously fell out with him on the set of “Mad Max” while his “Star Trek: Nemesis” co-star Patrick Stewart called him “odd” and “solitary”), they felt his behavior isn’t deliberate. “Tom gets slightly lost in his own little world sometimes I think,” said the source. “I don’t think he does it maliciously. I don’t even know if he particularly thinks he’s really doing it.”
In particular, the actor needs time in the mornings to “find his approach” to a scene and his character. “It doesn’t always tune in with everybody else’s [approach] but he’s got a good heart.”
But the source acknowledged: “He’s well known for being tricky.”
So what does it all mean for the future of “MobLand”? Most immediately, it’s believed that Hardy is still needed to complete some Season 2 reshoots, so his return would be ideal. More longterm, the production source was confident the show can continue without Hardy, should a compromise not be worked out: “I think you’d probably lose a fair amount of viewers, but I think it would be quite easy to carry on.” Brosnan, Mirren and Paddy Considine are “great actors” who still draw an audience, added the source, noting that Hardy’s fee could be spent on some starry guest actors. “I could think of ten ways they could write him out but they’re not very elegant,” said the source. “It’s a bit like the same way [‘Yellowstone’] got rid of Costner.”
Recasting Hardy’s role is highly unlikely, however. “I would certainly imagine if Guy had anything to say about it he’d probably be wanting to patch it all up because he knows how integral Tom is to the success of it,” said the source.
Ultimately the question is whether Hardy, Glasser and Butterworth can patch things up especially since Hardy was already unenthusiastic about returning for Season 3 due to his conflict with Butterworth. “It wouldn’t surprise me if this isn’t all a lot of hot air and somebody’s overheard something, David’s thrown his toys out the pram and Tom’s thrown his toys out the pram,” the source said. “They’ve always had a very volatile relationship.”
But with both Ritchie and Paramount+ (which has mostly been keeping an eye on things but staying on the sidelines as the situation works itself out) rooting for a truce, don’t write Harry Da Souza off just yet.
Joe Otterson contributed to this story.
From Variety US