Bridget Jones is back for a fourth film, and filming will be getting underway in the spring. Renee Zellweger leads the returning cast.
Helen Fielding’s big knicker wearing, perennial singleton Bridget Jones has headlined three feature films so far – 2001’s Bridget Jones’ Diary, 2004’s Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and 2016’s Bridget Jones’ Baby.
The first film followed Bridget as she struck up a relationship with the smarmy, charming Daniel Cleaver, played by Hugh Grant, not realising that her perfect match is Mark Darcy. Darcy of course was played, in an inspired piece of casting, by Colin Firth – the pathetic fist fights between the two men stand as highlights of both films.
The second sees Bridget once again taken in by Cleaver’ charms in Thailand, before she ends up in prison. The third film sees Bridget end up pregnant, unsure whether Darcy or Patrick Dempsey’s Jack is the father.
The fourth film has been in development for several years, with Fielding frequently assuring fans that she was working on the script.
After last year’s uncertainty due to strike action, it seems production is about to get underway on the fourth instalment. Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are all rumoured to be reprising their roles as Jones, Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver – the latter did not appear in Bridget Jones’ Baby except for a photograph. No official announcement has yet been made, but according to The Independent, the film will begin shooting in May. No director or other writers have been confirmed.
The plot of the book, Bridget Jones’s Diary: Mad About The Boy – don’t read on if you don’t want to be spoiled – follows the now 51-year-old single mother of two children as she navigates dating in an era of social media and dating apps. We also discover that Darcy has died in an accident and Bridget finds herself alone. With Colin Firth apparently reprising his role, it seems the film’s plot may deviate significantly from the book.
A source told the newspaper “Bridget is back and is about to take over London. Filming is being mapped out already and all of the pre-production is in place”.
We’ll keep you updated as we hear more.
