Hugh Grant denied rumors that he will be replacing actor Jodie Whittaker on Doctor Who.
Grant responded to recent rumors that claimed the actor was in talks to take over for Whittaker on BBC’s Doctor Who. Whittaker, who currently stars as the thirteenth iteration of the titular Doctor, will be ending her run on the iconic series later in 2022. “Nothing against Dr W but I’m not,” Grant wrote on Twitter. “No idea where the story came from.”
The rumor was first reported by British outlet, The Mirror, wherein an unnamed insider stated that “conversations are in progress” for Grant to take over as the Doctor. “He offers many attributes – great actor, British, award-winning, Hollywood A-lister and excellent at comedy,” the insider said. There was also a comparison to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the insider claiming that the “vision” for Doctor Who was to turn the series into “a Marvel-like product, building franchises around the Doctor and other key characters in his many lives.”
Whittaker premiered as the 13th Doctor in 2018 and announced in July 2021 that she would be handing over the keys to the TARDIS in 2022 alongside current showrunner Chris Chibnall. After three seasons, Chibnall and Whittaker will exit the series with a trio of specials that will air in fall 2022, which the BBC described as an “epic blockbuster event.”
Chibnall previously said in a statement that he and Whittaker “made a ‘three series and out’ pact with each other at the start of this once-in-a-lifetime blast.” Chibnall became the showrunner of Doctor Who in 2018 as well, the same year Whittaker debuted on television as the first female Doctor.
“In 2017 I opened my glorious gift box of size 13 shoes,” Whittaker said upon the announcement of her departure. “I could not have guessed the brilliant adventures, worlds and wonders I was to see in them. My heart is so full of love for this show, for the team who make it, for the fans who watch it and for what it has brought to my life.”
Following the departure of Chibnall and Whittaker, Russel T. Davies will return to the series in 2023. Davies, who is credited with reviving BBC’s cult, sci-fi series in 2005, served as the showrunner for Doctor Who for four years before handing the reins over to Steven Moffat in 2009. It was recently announced that Davies will finally return to the TARDIS as showrunner in 2023 to celebrate Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary and will take over from Chibnall.
The next Doctor Who special, “Legend of the Sea Devils,” arrives this spring on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US and will be followed by two others. A release date has not yet been announced.
Source: Twitter
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