Actor Manoj Bajpayee has opted out to play the villain in the Hrithik Roshan-led Indian remake of the British limited series, The Night Manager. He was about to play Richard Roper, played by Hugh Laurie in original – an arms dealer who disguises himself to be a business tycoon.

According to a daily, Manoj Bajpayee was in advanced talks with the makers for the series but due to the second wave of the pandemic, two of his productions got delayed. As a result, he realised that he won’t be able to match his dates with the rest of the starcast, and decided to bow out of the venture. The actor is currently shooting for a film in Uttarakhand and will pay attention to his pending projects after the shoot of the film.

While Hrithik Roshan has been roped in for playing Jonathan Pine in the show, the makers are in search of a new replacement for Manoj Bajpayee’s character.

The Night Manager is a British television serial directed by Susanne Bier and starring Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, David Harewood, Tom Hollander, and Elizabeth Debicki in pivotal roles. The series originally premiered on BBC One on February 21, 2016.