Summary

• Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen TV show earns praise with an exciting expansion of memorable characters – opening the door for some of his other movies to get the television treatment.
• Positive reviews for The Gentlemen on Netflix show the potential for a RocknRolla follow-up film or series, something teased at the end of the 2008 action movie.
• If a RocknRolla streaming show were made, it could fill a void for viewers who want to see more mob shows.

Netflix's The Gentlemen proves director Guy Ritchie's movies can have great spinoffs – and another one of his films deserves the show treatment. Ritchie is best known for his action movies with memorable characters, such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Wrath of Man. One of these films is 2019's The Gentlemen, a movie about cannabis dealer Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) trying to sell off his massive drug empire. The film serves as the basis for Netflix's The Gentlemen TV show, which takes place in the same universe.

The action comedy show is getting positive reviews, holding a 71% critics score and 84% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes as of writing. The Gentlemen's cast is being praised for bringing memorable new characters to life in an exciting expansion of the movie. In addition, the story and action of the show has been positively received, indicating Ritchie's smooth transition from the big screen to the small one. It also sets up the possibility of other films by the director getting the television treatment.

RocknRolla Is Overdue For A Follow-up Movie Or Show

The 2008 film stars Gerard Butler and Tom Wilkinson

With The Gentlemen season 1 getting such a positive critical reception, it opens the door for a follow-up to Ritchie's 2008 film RocknRolla. The action crime movie led by Gerard Butler follows two small-time criminals as they become embroiled in a conflict with gangsters from the UK and Russia. The film has gotten plenty of positive reception for its characters and action, even though it's not one of Ritchie's more widely-known movies.

The movie's end credits teased the possibility of RocknRolla 2, titled The Real RocknRolla, saying it would see the return of Archy (Mark Strong) and Johnny (Toby Kebbell). Since its release, there's been no confirmation that a sequel is coming, though Ritchie previously stated he's written the script. This leaves a lengthy 16-year gap in the film's narrative, and it's unclear when, if ever, the story promised at the end of the movie will actually be produced. However, there's still the possibility a follow-up is yet to come – perhaps as a TV show.

The Gentlemen Is Proof A RocknRolla Reboot Series Can Work

The Gentlemen's success provides a model for RocknRolla

Ritchie's TV spinoff of The Gentlemen didn't take long to prove additional shows based on his work could be produced in the future. In an interview with Deadline, executive producer Marc Helwig appeared optimistic about the possibility of The Gentlemen season 2 getting announced. With one movie-turned-show already proving itself as a possible multi-season story, there's no reason why a similar approach for a RocknRolla sequel wouldn't garner the same positive results.

The Gentlemen also remakes movie elements with its own original story, even though both the film and the show are set in the same universe. If the world of RocknRolla does make a return, The Gentlemen's similar elements to its source material prove even a remake of the Butler-led film could work. While it wouldn't satisfy the promise made at the end of the movie, it could allow Ritchie to explore the same premise using his decade and a half of new filmmaking skills.

Mob Shows Aren't Common In The Streaming Age

A RocknRolla show could fill a very specific niche

RocknRolla could also fill a niche left behind in the age of streaming, bringing a popular mob show to the forefront. While some shows dealing with organized crime have appeared in recent years – such as The BBC/Netflix's Peaky Blinders and Paramount+'s Tulsa King – the genre's notable hits have been few and far between lately. Those that have been made haven't held the same level of prominence as series like The Sopranos, which is still revered despite ending in 2007.

However, in the case of a possible RocknRolla streaming show, Ritchie's newest series makes a strong case for how it could become popular fairly quickly, filling that void. Whether or not Netflix would be the one to produce a follow-up or reboot, The Gentlemen's praise from critics and audiences means Ritchie's proven himself talented in the realm of TV. This makes any of his upcoming television projects all the more exciting, which would help bolster the success of a new RocknRolla entry.

Since his unique, stylish way of storytelling managed to translate from film to TV with The Gentlemen, Ritchie's RocknRolla could be another hit followup for him to pursue. One of his next projects on the small screen will be a Ray Donovan spinoff later this year, which can further showcase his prowess for crafting shows. It also indicates Ritchie is open to future television projects, one of which could be RocknRolla.

All episodes of The Gentlemen are streaming on Netflix.