A bidder at a charity gala in Cannes has paid €250,000 (£213,000) for a role in season five of Emily in Paris, despite Netflix reportedly saying the show might not be renewed.
During the amfAR Gala, which raises money for research to end HIV and AIDS, Winnie Harlow and Paris Jackson appeared onstage to auction off a walk-on role in the show as well as the chance to attend the season four premiere in Los Angeles.
Harlow and Jackson made reference to the fifth season being scheduled to start shooting in mid 2025.
However, Variety reports that Netflix insiders say the series has not yet received a green light for a new season.
The Independent has reached out to Netflix for clarification.
The fourth season will air in two parts on the streaming service, with the first part debuting on 15 August and the second half following on 12 September.
The official amfAR auction website states that the cameo role would be arranged “Courtesy of Darren Star,” who created the popular series.
The website was recently updated to state that the winning bid “will have the opportunity to spend a day on set in Paris during filming, contingent upon season 5 pickup”.
The original language suggested that work on the fifth season was already underway.
Netflix’s official description of the show’s fourth season states that it will follow: “Emily (Lily Collins) reeling after the dramatic events of Camille (Camille Razat) and Gabriel’s (Lucas Bravo) misbegotten wedding. She has strong feelings for two men, but now Gabriel’s expecting a baby with his ex, and Alfie’s (Lucien Laviscount) worst fears about her and Gabriel have been confirmed.”
In a two-star review of the show’s third season, The Independent’s Isobel Lewis wrote: “Emily in Paris has had quite the ride. The first season, about a Chicago PR girl who heads to the City of Love, was critically derided, hailed as a sign that Netflix was giving up on quality TV and churning out formulaic shows instead (two years and a bazillion true-crime later, that judgement feels seriously prophetic).
“But creator Darren Star promised to iron out the kinks, and by the time season two rolled around, reviewers U-turned, claiming the show was now totally “in on the joke”. As the third run of episodes arrive on Netflix, I’m unconvinced. Is it enough for a show to be in on the joke if the joke isn’t a good one? Does knowing your show is clichéd make it immune to criticism?”
