David Beckham cut a dapper figure as he stepped out to support director Guy Ritchie on Tuesday night.

The former England captain, 48, joined the cast of upcoming Netflix series The Gentlemen, including a sharply dressed Ray Winstone, as the premiere on the latest offering from Madonna’s ex-husband Ritchie.

The upcoming series sees aristocrat Eddie Horniman, played by The White Lotus star James, inherit his family’s country estate, only to later discover that it is part of a cannabis empire and its proprietors do not plan to go anywhere.

Created by British filmmaker Ritchie, the action comedy stars The Maze Runner actress Kaya Scodelario, Lovesick actor Daniel Ings, Nip/Tuck star Joely Richardson, Snatch actor Vinnie Jones, Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito, and screen veteran Ray Winstone.

David Beckham posing for pictures at the Theatre Royal Drury Lan ( 
Image:
Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireIma)

The Gentlemen stars Ray Winstone and Giancarlo Esposito ( 
Image:
Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireIma)

The Gentleman actress Kaya Scodelario said she hopes it becomes the standard for female characters to be “interesting”, as she spoke about the pleasure she got from starring in Ritchie’s new series. The Maze Runner and Skins actress plays Susie Glass, who oversees her father’s criminal organisation on his behalf in the Netflix show.

Speaking about playing a dynamic character, Scodelario told the PA news agency at the world premiere: “It’s a pleasure. It’s kind of the bare minimum for me. “I think women are interesting. I’ve never met a woman that isn’t interesting so I’m never going to play a woman that isn’t interesting. And that’s my standard: I expect the character that I’m playing to be interesting, and fun, and vulnerable, and angry, and everything in between. And it was a real pleasure to get to play with that, but I hope that becomes the standard, to be honest.”

She also revealed that she asked around on what working with Ritchie would be like, but was told she had to experience it for herself, adding: “And that’s true. He’s got a really forward-thinking brain. He knows what it’s going to look like before you do, and you have to trust the process and go along with it, but it was great.”

Theo James said he did not feel the pressure to lead the cast of the new Netflix TV version of The Gentlemen, despite the success of the 2019 Ritchie film of the same name. Speaking to the PA news agency at the London premiere of the series, James said “no, I don’t think so” when asked if it was daunting to follow in the footsteps of the hit film starring Matthew McConaughey and Colin Farrell.

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He went on to say: “This is a very different world and I was glad for that. I think people assume it is a continuation of the movie, but it’s set in a world of The Gentlemen but it is a completely different story, completely different characters and I felt like it was different enough. This is specifically the idea of mashing two genres together. The aristocracy blended with the criminal underworld and when they collide, what happens.”

James described the series as a “learning curve” for his character, who enters an unknown world and is coached through it by Susie and Bobby Glass, played by Scodelario and Winstone, before he gets “hungrier for it, for power, for money, for violence, and that kind of blackens his soul”, James added.

Winstone described the show as being about “how the working-class criminal manipulated the aristocrat”, and also “about families coming together”. He also said of working with Ritchie: “You get the script and you learn it. As long as you learn it and you know what the character is all about, because he’ll change it, as long as you’re on the ball and you’re there, you go with the flow. If you go with the flow, you’ll get something better and you’ll enjoy it much more, and I certainly did. I enjoy working that way anyway, keeps you on your toes.”

Ritchie is creator, co-writer, co-director and co-executive producer of the eight-part series. The Gentlemen series will launch on Netflix on March 7.