Despite a successful first season, Regé-Jean Page has reportedly passed on a sizeable amount of money to return for season two of  Bridgerton.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 31-year-old actor was offered an opportunity to be a guest star in three to five episodes of season 2, however, he declined to reprise his role as Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings.  

The said publication further reported that Page would have received $50,000 [R768 218 00] per episode had he accepted the offer to star in the second season of the series.

It is also reported that Page turned down the offer for a number of reasons but mainly to focus on his film career.

The For the People star addressed his departure last week saying of originally signing on to the show: "It's a one-season arc. It's going to have a beginning, middle, end – give us a year.

"[I thought] 'That's interesting', because then it felt like a limited series. I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on."

Production of the second season is set to begin during spring in the UK, which means there is a possibility it will arrive on Christmas Day once again. However, an early 2022 premiere is more likely, states the DigitalSpy.

Bridgerton fans were left in shock last week when it was confirmed that the much-loved star would not be returning for season 2.

Here are some of the reactions on social media: