Zellweger and Grant set to star in new ‘Bridget Jones’ movie

LOS ANGELES

Renée Zellweger is set to reprise her beloved role of Bridget Jones in an upcoming fourth installment of the popular film franchise.

The two-time Oscar-winner will star in “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” according to a news release. The film is based on author Helen Fielding’s best-selling novel of the same name.

Hugh Grant, who costarred Daniel Cleaver in 2001’s “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and 2004 sequel “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” is returning to the franchise to star alongside Zellweger in “Mad About the Boy.”

Grant did not appear in the third installment of the franchise, 2016’s “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” despite his character being part of that film’s plot.

Also returning to the franchise is Emma Thompson, who appeared as Dr. Rawlings in “Bridget Jones’s Baby” and is credited as a writer on that film, alongside franchise newcomers Chiwetel Ejiofor and “White Lotus” star Leo Woodall.

Zellweger was nominated for a lead actress Oscar in 2002 for her performance in “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” before going on to win for best supporting actress in 2004 for “Cold Mountain” and in 2020 for lead actress for “Judy.”

The first film introduced us to Jones, a befuddled news assistant who keeps a confessional diary 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 lands Mark Darcy, played in the films by Academy Award-winner Colin Firth, according to an official synopsis of the book.

“To Leslie” director Michael Morris is attached to direct the new movie, with Fielding serving as an executive producer and Miramax co-financing the project.

“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” will premiere in theaters internationally and on Peacock in the U.S. on Feb. 14, 2025.