Bridget Jones 4 has been officially confirmed – with Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant set to reprise their iconic roles.
The fourth installment of the popular franchise – based on Helen Fielding’s books – 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 returning, with Chiwetel Ejiofor and White Lotus and One Day star Leo Woodall also set to star, according to THR.
To Leslie director Michael Morris will direct the film – based on the 2013 novel of the same name, with the film’s screenplay written by author Fielding.
But things haven’t always been perfect between the two lead stars Hugh and Renée – Hugh raised eyebrows when the American actress was first given 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 lead stars Hugh and Renée – Hugh raised eyebrows when the American actress was given the role.
Hugh had some concerns about the British character of American author Helen – saying he initially thought her being cast in the role was a “stretch”.
Speaking in a 2020 documentary about the films, he said: “There was a whole scandal about why isn’t this a British actress? I didn’t know Renée Zellweger, and a Texan playing a British character seemed exaggerated to me.
He then admitted that his co-star’s first attempt at a British accent “sounded like Princess Margaret.”
Hugh added: “She was told to do it, well she thought she’d better relax a bit. Then she came in and it was Princess Margaret who had had a stroke. But a week later, it was perfect.
However, they quickly became good friends while working on the film and he previously said of their off-screen friendship: “I love Renée. She’s one of the few actresses I don’t get with. I’m not at odds. And we get along very well together.
“We still exchange long emails. His in particular, at least 70 pages each, interesting stuff, but quite difficult to decipher. She’s a real good egg and a genius. Have you seen Judy Garland? That’s about as good an acting job as it gets.
It comes as Bridget Jones fans have vowed to boycott the upcoming fourth film if beloved character Mark Darcy is not included.
Hugh had some concerns about the British character of American author Helen – saying he initially thought her being cast in the role was a “stretch”.
Speaking in a 2020 documentary about the films, he said: “There was a whole scandal about why isn’t this a British actress? I didn’t know Renée Zellweger, and a Texan playing a British character seemed exaggerated to me.
The romantic comedies of the 2000s defined a generation, with millions of women identifying with protagonist 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, primarily with Mark and Daniel.
In the third film, it seemed like Bridget had finally found her happy ending as she settled down with lawyer Mark, marrying 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, only to be devastated when Colin’s name was missing from the cast list.
Fear has since spread on social media that the fourth film will follow the direction of the third book, which tragically killed off 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 thanks. #colinfirth’;
‘Bridget Jones 4 without Colin Firth, no thanks, pointless, that’s the only reason I watched and liked the last 3 movies, I really like it.’;
“I think Mum and I will swerve into the new Bridget Jones movie if Colin Firth isn’t in it.”; “bring back Colin Firth too, there’s no Bridget Jones without Mark Darcy”;
“I’m sorry, but what is the point of making another Bridget Jones’s Diary movie? Above all, without Colin and his Mark Darcy, Bridget’s only love.’;
‘The plot of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is that Bridget is widowed after the death of Mark Darcy. So will the characters Colin and Hugh be ghosts?’;
“How the Bridget Jones books play out in a Bridget Jones movie without Colin Firth is concerning.”; “A Bridget Jones film without Colin Firth is a no for me. That’s all.’;
“The disappointment I feel that Colin Firth won’t appear in the next Bridget Jones is… overwhelming. Then to find out, it’s because she’s a widow. I am inconsolable. Please respect my privacy during this difficult time.’;
“Bridget Jones’s 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 the third Bridget Jones novel, Mad About The Boy, which is also the title of the upcoming fourth film, it was revealed that Mark had been killed five years previously in a landmine accident in Sudan, shortly after welcomed a second child with Bridget. .
Readers were outraged by the shock, with author Helen later revealing that she had made the decision after the The death of his father in a car accident made him realize that life has many “twists and turns”.
She said after the book’s release in 2013: “It’s like the keys on a piano, isn’t it? There are white notes and black notes.
“And there’s a tragi-comic element to my writing; the happy ending is where you choose to end a book. Life, with all its twists and turns, continues beyond that.
In the novel, Bridget is 51 years old and trying to cope with her grief while caring for children Billy and Mabel, aged seven and five.
The fourth installment of the popular franchise – based on Helen Fielding’s books – will be titled Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy – with Zellweger returning as the witty singleton, alongside Grant as lover Daniel Cleaver.
To Leslie director Michael Morris will direct the film – based on the 2013 novel of the same name, with a screenplay written by author Fielding.
She’s still looking for her happy ending and embarks on a romantic relationship with a younger man while trying to navigate the modern dating scene.
Although the identity of the young lover has not yet been announced, it is telling that the casting features Hollywood heartthrob of the moment, Leo Woodall.
The One Day star, 27, has been confirmed to star in the upcoming film in a currently undisclosed role.
The plot of the book suggests that there is every chance that Leo could also play the role of her young lover.
Fans also predicted that if the film was set in the future, Leo could play Bridget’s son.
dailymail us
