Bridget Jones 4 has been officially confirmed – with Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant set to reprise their iconic roles.
The fourth installment in the critically acclaimed franchise – based on the books by Helen Fielding – will be titled Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy – with Zellweger returning as the witty singleton, alongside Grant as lover Daniel Cleaver.
Emma Thompson – who played Doctor Rawlings in 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby is also back, with Chiwetel Ejiofor and White Lotus and One Day star Leo Woodall also starring, per THR.
Leslie will be directed by director Michael Morris – based on the 2013 novel of the same name, with the film script written by author Fielding.
But things haven’t always been perfect between the two leads Hugh and Renée – with Hugh raising eyebrows when the American actress was originally cast in the role.
Bridget Jones 4 has been officially confirmed – with Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant set to reprise their iconic roles (seen in 2004)
But things haven’t always been perfect between the two leads Hugh and Renée – with Hugh’s eyebrows raised when the American actress got the part.
Hugh was concerned about the British character of Helen, an American playwright, and said he initially thought it was a “stretch” that she was cast in the role.
In a 2020 documentary about the films, he said: ‘There was a whole scandal about why this isn’t a British actress? I didn’t know Renée Zellweger, and a Texan playing a British character, it seemed like a tall order.’
He further admitted that his co-star’s first attempt at a British accent “sounded like Princess Margaret.”
Hugh added: “She was told to loosen it up a bit. Then she came in and it was Princess Margaret who had had a stroke. But a week later the time had really come.’
However, they quickly became close friends while working on the film, and he previously said of their off-screen friendship, “I love Renee. She’s one of the few actresses I haven’t had a falling out with. And we get along very well.
‘We still exchange long emails. Especially hers, at least 70 pages each, interesting stuff, but quite difficult to decipher. She’s a pretty good egg and a genius. Have you seen her Judy Garland? About as good as acting gets.”
It comes as fans of Bridget Jones have vowed to boycott the upcoming fourth film if it doesn’t feature beloved character Mark Darcy.
Hugh was concerned about the British character of Helen, an American playwright, and said he initially thought it was a “stretch” that she was cast in the role.
In a 2020 documentary about the films, he said: ‘There was a whole scandal about why this isn’t a British actress? I didn’t know Renée Zellweger, and a Texan playing a British character seemed like a tall order.”
The 1990s rom-coms defined a generation, with millions of women identifying with main character Bridget, who worried about her weight, her bad smoking and drinking habits and whether she would ever find a partner.
The films saw Bridget navigate several love triangles, mainly with Mark and Daniel.
In the third film, it seemed that Bridget had finally found her happy ending when she settled down with lawyer Mark and got married after welcoming their first child together.
So with news of a fourth film on the way, fans were excited to see what Bridget and Mark would do next, but were left devastated when Colin’s name wasn’t on the cast list.
Since then, fears have spread across social media that the fourth film will follow the direction of the third book, which tragically killed Mark and followed Bridget as she navigated life as a widowed mother of two.
On X, formerly Twitter, fans shared: ‘Bridget Jones 4 without Colin Firth…no thank you. #Colin firth’;
‘Bridget Jones 4 without Colin Firth, no thanks, pointless, he’s the only reason I watched and liked the last three movies, I like him a lot.’;
‘Think Mom and I will avoid the new Bridget Jones movie if Colin Firth isn’t in it.’; ‘bring back Colin Firth too, there is no Bridget Jones without Mark Darcy’;
‘I’m sorry, but what is the purpose of making another Bridget Jones diary film? Above all, without Colin and his Mark Darcy, Bridget’s only love.’;
‘The plot of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is that Bridget becomes a widow after Mark Darcy dies. Will Colin and Hugh’s characters be ghosts?’;
‘Knowing how the Bridget Jones books will play out in a Bridget Jones movie without Colin Firth is worrying.’; ‘A Bridget Jones film without Colin Firth is a no for me. That’s all.’;
‘The disappointment I feel about Colin Firth not appearing in the next Bridget Jones is…overwhelming. Only to find out it’s because she’s a widow. I am inconsolable. Please respect my privacy during this difficult time.’;
‘Bridget Jones diary 4 is happening, but it looks like they’re following the book and Colin Firth won’t be in it, so what’s the point’.
In Bridget Jones’ third novel, Mad About The Boy, which is also the title of the upcoming fourth film, it was revealed that Mark had died in a landmine accident in Sudan five years earlier, shortly after welcoming a second child with Bridget . .
Readers were outraged by the shocking twist, with author Helen later revealing she made the decision after the event The death of her father in a car accident made her realize that life has many twists and turns.
She said after the book’s release in 2013: ‘They look like the keys of a piano, don’t they? There are white notes and black notes.
‘And there is a tragicomic element in my writing; the happy ending is exactly where you choose to end a book. Life, with all its twists, goes on out there.”
In the novel, Bridget is 51 years old and tries to overcome her grief while caring for children Billy and Mabel, aged seven and five.
The fourth installment in the critically acclaimed franchise – based on the books by Helen Fielding – will be titled Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy – with Zellweger returning as the witty singleton, alongside Grant as lover Daniel Cleaver
Leslie director Michael Morris will direct the film – based on the 2013 novel of the same name, with the film script written by author Fielding
Still looking for her happy ending, she begins a romance with a younger man while trying to navigate the modern dating scene.
While the identity of the young lover has not yet been revealed, it is significant that the cast includes current Hollywood heartthrob Leo Woodall.
It has been confirmed that the One Day star, 27, will star in the upcoming film in a currently undisclosed part.
The plot of the book suggests that there is every chance that Leo could also play the role of her younger lover.
Fans also predicted that if the film were set in the future, Leo could play Bridget’s son.