Simone Ashley's latest project has been announced. According to Deadline, following production on Bridgerton's third season, the actress has joined the cast of 10 Lives – an upcoming animated feature. While the project is in its early stages, with Taost Entertainment picking up Chinese distribution rights, it sounds intriguing.
Boasting a star-studded cast, Simone is set to be in great company. Zayn Malik, Mo Gilligan, Sophie Okonedo, Bill Nighy, and Jeremy Swift have also signed up. Currently, the feature is waiting to receive approval from censors. At this point, Taost Entertainment will then begin looking for a distribution partner in China.
While few details have been released, the plot will centre around Beckett – a pampered cat who has taken his nine lives for granted. After realizing that his time is almost spent, Beckett pleads for an opportunity to learn from his mistakes, and sure enough, his wish is granted, but there are certain conditions he must follow.
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Directing the A-list cast will be Chris Jenkins, who film fans may recognize as the director of Duck Duck Goose. Throughout his decade-spanning career, Chris has also worked as an Effects Animator on a number of Disney classics, including The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1994).
While 10 Lives is in its early stages, it won't be too long until fans can watch Simone in Bridgerton. Reprising her role as Kate Sharma in the Netflix series, the actress will be back alongside her on-screen husband, Jonathan Bailey.
While the second series may have focused on the romance between Kate and Anthony Bridgerton, the third instalment will examine the love story of Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).
The synopsis for the series reveals: "Penelope Featherington has finally given up on her long-held crush on Colin Bridgerton after hearing his disparaging words about her last season.
"She has, however, decided it's time to take a husband, preferably one who will provide her with enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from her mother and sisters. But lacking in confidence, Penelope's attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly.
"Eager to win back her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly."
When will Bridgerton season three land on Netflix?
Season two was released in March 2022, with season three filming taking place over the course of the year from July. It looked like the show wrapped filming in early March 2023, which is when cast mates shared snaps of the wrap party. Since the show will now be in post-production, we can expect the series to be released either in late 2023, or early 2024. However, this is all speculative as Netflix hasn't confirmed an exact day for the eight-part series – yet!
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