CNN
—
Renée Zellweger is set to reprise her beloved role of Bridget Jones in the fourth installment of the popular film franchise.
The two-time Oscar winner will star in “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” according to a press release. The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by author Helen Fielding.
Hugh Grant, who played Daniel Cleaver in 2001’s “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and the 2004 sequel “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” returns to the franchise to star opposite Zellweger in “Mad About the Boy.”
Grant did not appear in the franchise’s third installment, 2016’s “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” although his character is part of that film’s plot.
Emma Thompson, who appeared as Dr. Rawlings in “Bridget Jones’s Baby” and is credited as a writer on that film, is also returning to the franchise, alongside franchise newcomer Chiwetel Ejiofor and star by “White Lotus” Leo Woodall.
Zellweger was nominated for an Academy Award for Leading Actress in 2002 for her performance in “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” before winning Best Supporting Actress in 2004 for “Cold Mountain” and in 2020 for lead actress for “Judy”.
The first film introduced us to Jones, a confused press assistant who keeps a confessional journal as she navigates the trials and tribulations of love, career, and life in general.
Fielding’s novel “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” picks up 14 years after Jones met Mark Darcy – played in the films of Academy Award winner Colin Firth – according to an official synopsis of the book.
“To Leslie” director Michael Morris is set to direct the new film, with Fielding serving as executive producer and Miramax co-financing the project.
“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” will premiere in theaters worldwide and on Peacock in the United States on February 14, 2025.
