Renée Zellweger Will Be Back for Bridget Jones 4
Universal Pictures and Working Title gave fans of the Bridget Jones movie franchise a sweet surprise on Tuesday, revealing plans for a 4th rom-com film.
That’s right. Helen Fielding’s best-selling novel from 2013 will be adapted for the big screen.
The movie, titled Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, takes the same name as the book and will see Zellweger reprising her iconic role. She’ll be joined by former costars Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson along with newcomers Chiwetel Ejiofor (Love, Actually) and Leo Woodall (The White Lotus).
The story takes place 14 years into the future and follows a 50-year-old Bridget as she struggles to raise 2 kids as a widow. For those unaware, the last film in the franchise ended with a happy ending where Bridget marries Mark Darcy and even has his baby!
While many fans would have loved exploring the couple’s happily married life, the movie is set to follow the plot of the book, where Darcy dies in a tragic accident.
Exactly which details the movie will adapt from the original book is not clear yet. However, since the producers brought author Helen Fielding onboard to write the script, we can be hopeful that many details will be similar.
However, fans are most excited to learn who will play Bridget’s new and younger love interest. We also know that the new arc will explore Bridget’s foray into dating apps.
So far, we know that Michael Morris (To Leslie) will be joining the team as the director. On behalf of Universal, the project will be managed by the Senior Executive VP of Production Development Erik Baiers and the Creative Executive of Production Development Jacqueline Garell. Release dates have also been announced, with the U.S. gearing up for a 2025 Valentine’s Day theater release.
Fans of the franchise have been waiting for news of a 4th movie for a long time. Zellweger even jokingly suggested that “Bridget Jones: The Menopause” should be the name of the 4th movie during a guest appearance on the CBS show The Talk. During her interview, she also revealed that author Fielding was working on a 4th installment for the series.
Although the news was confirmed by Fielding in a later Radio Times interview, she was quick to note that it may take a while before work on the next film begins. However, with this announcement, fans can be assured that the project is underway and mark their calendars for next February.
There are undoubtedly many expectations riding on this movie—and for good reason. The first film of the series was released back in 2001 and was a box office hit. Its 3 installments haven’t disappointed either. Collectively, the 3 movies have earned more than $760 million in the worldwide box office. The first film Bridget Jones’s Diary also earned Zellweger her first Oscar nomination in a lead role.
It will certainly be exciting to see how Zellweger reprises the role for a 4th time, especially now that she has 2 Oscar wins to her name!
