Regé-Jean Page was hailed as a future A-lister a few years ago, but he’s dropped way down the Hollywood pecking order in terms of star power and appeal.

The 36-year-old actor was the talk of the town when Bridgerton debuted on December 25, 2020, but sources exclusively tell Life & Style that it’s back to the drawing board when it comes to his career, and pals are wondering where it all went so wrong.

“Regé had an amazing lucky break in Bridgerton four years ago and made the smart decision to jump off of that show to cash in and make movie money, but to say it hasn’t quite worked out as planned is a massive understatement,” reveals a source who worked with the actor on one of his recent, high-stakes productions.

Fans were shocked when Regé did not return for Bridgerton‘s second season despite being offered to come back. However, he wanted to explore other opportunities outside the show and went on to appear in Netflix’s The Gray Man to mixed reviews.

He also appeared in 2023’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, but nothing proved to be as successful as his time playing Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings.

“Regé’s choice of projects wasn’t exactly the problem,” the source notes. “At the time, it amounted to a coup for him to get into very hot projects like The Gray Man and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and Regé was on the fast track to stardom.”

However, the source points out, “The movies were duds, and the damage was done, and nobody cares that it’s not Regé’s fault.”

Meanwhile, there was also chatter about him being a frontrunner to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, but the buzz has died down.

“Fast forward to two years later and Regé is still recovering from Dungeons & Dragons and The Gray Man‘s underwhelming [success] and the Bond talk has totally evaporated,” the source says. “But when you parse the moves Regé made, it’s hard to blame him for being drawn to a brand name like D&D or billion-dollar directors like the Russo Brothers who made Gray Man.”

For now, the source says, “He’s in rebuilding mode and now finds himself in the unfortunate position of keeping his fingers crossed for a Dungeons & Dragons sequel that Paramount has thus far hesitated to pull the trigger on. He needs a new franchise, and another fresh start, and he needs it yesterday!”