New Bridget Jones film very sad, says Hugh Grant
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant are returning for another installment of the Bridget Jones series.
Fans of Bridget Jones have always loved the movies for their awkwardly funny and heartwarming moments.
However, Hugh Grant has cautioned that the upcoming fourth installment in the series, set to be released on Valentine's Day next year, will have a distinctly different vibe.
Caution: If you're not interested in hearing about the storyline of Bridget Jones 4, it's best to turn back now...
"Not only is it hilariously funny, but it’s also quite heartbreaking," remarked the actor, who will return to his role as the charming villain Daniel Cleaver.
He also mentioned that there wasn't a clear part for him in the movie, but they still wanted to include him somehow.
Oscar-winning actress Renée Zellweger reprises her role as the main character in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.
The movie gets its name from the most recent Bridget Jones book, released in 2013.
Picture credit, Working Title
The movies follow the journey of Bridget Jones, a professional woman residing in London.
In the book, readers reconnect with Bridget as she navigates her 50s. She is now a mother of two and has become a widow after losing her husband, Mark Darcy.
In the previous Bridget Jones films, Colin Firth portrayed the character of Darcy.
The production studio hasn't provided any details about how much the new movie will mirror the plot of the book it’s based on. However, it has been announced that author Helen Fielding has penned the screenplay.
During an appearance on the Graham Norton show, Grant suggested that Fielding drew inspiration from a real-life tragedy when creating the storyline.
"He shared a heartbreaking tale," he remarked.
She married a screenwriter from America, had kids, and then he passed away.
Grant mentioned that Fielding began working on a novel centered around a woman who is raising her children alone, and eventually came to the conclusion that the protagonist resembled "a little bit" like Bridget.
"So, she ended up becoming a character in a Bridget Jones novel," he remarked.
"In addition to being hilariously entertaining, it carries a profound sense of sadness."
Grant, widely recognized for his roles in romantic comedies like Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral, was absent from the third installment of the series.
He mentioned that at first, he believed there was "completely no part" for his character, Daniel, in the fourth installment as well.
"But they tried to squeeze me in," he remarked.
He mentioned that he collaborated with the producers to develop the character, who had a reputation in the previous movies as a notorious flirt.
I thought their suggestion was acceptable, but not outstanding.
"I realized he needed to be more well-rounded. Now that he’s in his 60s, it wouldn’t make sense for him to just be wandering down King's Road checking out young women."
It seems that something must have occurred to him during that time.
"So, I came up with a pretty solid temporary narrative."
He mentioned that he approved the final version.
"This script is genuinely impressive and touching. And that's coming from someone who usually isn't great at analyzing scripts. It was exceptional."
Photo credit: Getty Images
Hugh Grant, Renee Zellweger, and Colin Firth appeared in the film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
Fielding's debut novel, *Bridget Jones's Diary*, came out in 1996, followed by its sequel, *Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason*, which was published three years after.
Presented like a personal diary, these novels tell the story of an unlucky thirty-something single professional woman navigating life in London.
In 2001, the first movie adaptation was released featuring American actress Zellweger, with Grant playing Daniel Cleaver and Colin Firth portraying Mark Darcy.
Zellweger received an Oscar nomination for her performance, and in 2004, a follow-up film came out, but it didn’t garner the same level of acclaim from critics.
Emma Thompson, who first played Bridget's frustrated obstetrician in the third movie, Bridget Jones's Baby, will also be reprising her role in the upcoming fourth film.
The cast has some fresh additions, featuring Chiwetel Ejiofor (from 12 Years A Slave) and Leo Woodall (known for One Day). There's speculation that Woodall will portray Bridget's younger romantic interest as she navigates the dating scene once again.
Fielding had mentioned earlier that she chose to remove Mark Darcy from the series because she didn’t want Bridget to turn into someone who was overly self-satisfied in her marriage, a situation that Jones had previously expressed great disapproval of.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is scheduled to debut in the UK on Valentine's Day 2025.
