With the announcement that original Suits star Garbiel Macht will be reprising his role as Harvey Specter for forthcoming spin-off series Suits: LA, speculation has begun about whether any other of series' other cast members will be returning. And while there's certainly intrigue as to whether Patrick J. Adams’ Mike Ross, Sarah Rafferty’s Donna and Rick Hoffman’s Louis Litt will be coming back as well, there's one name in particular that people are particularly keen to get an update on: Meghan Markle.
It was at the end of season seven when the Duchess of Sussex left the hit show, after her character Rachel Zane got married to Mike Ross.
The pair left the show, with Adams later returning as Mike Ross in a guest capacity for several episodes in the show’s final season.
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Though Markle left the entertainment world to become a working royal alongside husband Prince Harry, this is no longer a barrier to her return.
As such, fans have got their hopes up that she will be joining Macht in returning for Suits: LA.
The spinoff is set to star Stephen Amell as Ted Black, a former criminal prosecutor who moves his practice from New York to LA.
With the creator of the original series, Aaron Korsh, back to write the scripts for the new show, and Harvey Specter making a return, it has many questioning whether Markle will end her entertainment hiatus.
As Markle now resides in Montecito, California, with Harry and their children Archie and Lilibet, fans reckon that she might be enticed to return to the screen as Rachel Zane because she wouldn't have to leave her family behind to film.
Her on-screen husband Adams also seemed to hint at the possibility they could both return to Suits while on the red carpet at the Golden Globes back in January.
The 42-year-old said of his co-star: "I think Meghan is a fantastic actress. We'd be lucky to have her back in the industry.
"Sure. Mike and Rachel in Seattle. They gotta come down to LA, they gotta fix some stuff.
"If we got the phone call, if I got the phone call, I’m ready to suit up again. I love the show, I love the character. And I loved working with all these people."
But what does Markle think of the prospect of dusting off her acting skills to make a return to Suits?
Well, the last thing we have to go off comes from her bombshell interview with Oprah in March 2021 alongside husband Harry, where she discussed whether she would like to get back in front of a camera again.
Markle said she had no plans to do so, but did add: "Never say never."
Opening up about her role as Rachel Zane and subsequent departure, she said: "I left Suits right after the 100th episode, in 2018. I didn’t think I’d ever be in the entertainment industry again.
"But the entire culture has changed; streamers have changed things. The ability to create zeitgeist moments like we had in the ‘90s – where everyone would tune in at the same time for a show or gather for one moment – that doesn’t happen anymore."
The mother-of-two then hinted that she could be swayed by rom-com style storylines though.
Markle added: "I miss them so much. I’ve probably watched When Harry Met Sally a million times. And all the Julia Roberts rom-coms. We need to see those again."
Actor Wendell Pierce, who played the role of Rachel Zane's father Robert in Suits, recently told how he had reunited with Markle last year, and noted that her and Harry were 'very much in love'.
Chatting at the 2024 Tony Awards in New York City on 16 June, the 60-year-old said working alongside the Duchess of Sussex was a 'blast' and that he has linked up with her a 'few times' since she left the acting world.
He added: "I’ve gotten to see her just a few times since, and we’ve been able to reminisce and so it’s real, we have fond memories of working together."
Who knows - they could be making new memories to cherish together very soon, too.
Topics: Meghan Markle, Royal Family, TV, TV and Film
Michael Slavin