- The Bridget Jones franchise has three other movies
- The first film came out in 2001
- The new film will be released in 2025
We have loved Bridget Jones for almost 25 years and in 2025 we will get another fix of Bridget Jones with Bridget Jones 4 AKA Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.
This new movie will see Hugh Grant and Renée Zellweger reprise their roles as Daniel Cleaver and Bridget Jones. The two played lovers in the franchise. The movie series is based on the novel series by author Helen Fielding which began in 1996 with Bridget Jones’s Diary. When the movie adaptation was released in 2001, it was a smash hit and made $272 million at the box office globally.
Fielding’s novel was successful before the film, which spawned a movie franchise. Bridget Jones’s Diary became an international success. In 1998, the novel won British Book of The Year and by 2006 it had sold 2 million copies. The success paved the way towards movie sequels with the same titles as the movies.
Bridget Jones’s Diary follows a 30-something-year-old woman who writes a diary focusing on her life and romantic experiences. Later, the diary follows her life changes. The franchise has three other instalments so far including 2004’s Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby.
Why a sequel was necessary
The fourth Bridget Jones novel is a sequel to Bridget Jones’s Baby titled Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. Every Fielding novel has inspired a movie, so skipping the fourth book would feel odd.
The Bridget Jones brand remains culturally significant and continues to draw audiences, which is why a fourth film has appeared. While each movie earned less than its predecessor, every instalment still surpassed $200 million at the box office globally – which is no small feat.
With the hype for each Bridget Jones film continuing to rise before the last instalment releases, here’s what we know so far about Bridget Jones 4.
When will the trailer be released?
Good news for fans of the series, because the trailer for Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy dropped in November 2024.
A second trailer hasn’t arrived yet but with only a few weeks to go until the release date, we’re sure it’ll arrive soon.
What we know so far about Bridget Jones 4
The fourth instalment in the series was confirmed in April 2024. Bridget Jones 4 started filming in May 2024 and confirmed the return of previous cast members. The film quickly got the title Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, the same title as Fielding’s fourth novel. The plot is also similar to its novel counterpart.
The trailer reveals a major plot point matching the fourth novel. In Bridget Jones: Mad About a Boy, Jones begins life as a single mother but the trailer suggests he will delve into some new romantic territory.
Production on the movie wrapped in August 2024 after a brief delay.
What is the plot of Bridget Jones 4?
Bridget Jones 4 will be based on the plot of the fourth novel in the series, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. The synopsis of the film reads: “Bridget Jones finally has some luck in her life; she has a great job as a screenwriter, her family, and a new boyfriend; the fact that he is over twenty years younger than her isn’t the only thing that is causing problems”.
A source told The Sun about a similar synopsis of the film’s plot. They said: “Bridget is going to be a real cougar in the new film and she’ll be seen starting a relationship with a much younger character played by Leo.”
They continued, “Bridget is a single mum trying to navigate a new world of social media and dating apps after Mark’s death, so she’s definitely going to end up in a pickle.”
The 2013 novel seems to influence Bridget Jones 4. Despite this, the timeline of Bridget’s singledom and new relationship blooming may differ.
Bridget Jones spoilers lurk below
The trailer confirms that Mark Darcy has passed away, referring to Bridget as a widow, just like in the book. The time that has past since we last saw her is four years, as vocalized in the trailer. Bridget begins the film as a single mom on dating apps when she meets 29-year-old Roxster.
When is Bridget Jones 4 coming out?
Bridget Jones 4’s release date isn’t far away. One of the film’s production companies, Working Title confirmed on X that the film would release on February 13 in cinemas. Previously in August when filming wrapped Working Title declared on social media that the film would release on Valentine’s Day.
However, the film’s trailer confirmed the film will first be released on February 13 on the Peacock streaming service. Afterwards, the film will be released on Valentine’s Day in cinemas.
The release date hasn’t been heavily delayed, it has stayed the same, although filming was temporarily halted in August 2024 close to the movie’s end because of bats. No, that isn’t a joke – in Keswick, Cumbria, where the movie was filmed, there was a growing concern over the bats being disturbed.
A source close to the production claimed: “Filming ended up being paused by some bat experts who raised concerns about the local bat population and how they could be affected”. Oh no.
However, filming finished not long after.
Who is going to be in Bridget Jones 4?
Zellweger returns as the iconic and lovable Bridget Jones, with Grant reprising his role as the charmingly cocky Daniel Cleaver. Alongside them, several familiar faces are back. Emma Thompson returns as Dr. Rawling, Bridget’s witty OBGYN, while Colin Firth appears in flashbacks, as hinted at in the trailer.
Bridget’s close-knit circle of friends – including Sarah Solemani, Sally Phillips, Shirley Henderson, and James Callis – are all back, along with her parents, played by Gemma Jones and Jim Broadbent. Celia Imrie, Neil Pearson, and Joanna Scanlan also return to the beloved franchise.
New cast members
Exciting new additions include One Day’s Leo Woodall as Roxster, Bridget’s new love interest, sure to set hearts racing. Isla Fisher joins as Rebecca, alongside Josette Simon, Nico Parker, and Leila Farzad, adding fresh energy to the ensemble.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is also set to star as a character named Mr. Walliker.
Crew members
Bridget Jones 4 brings a fresh creative touch with Michael Morris as its director. Known for films like To Leslie and TV projects like Brothers and Sisters and Better Call Saul, Morris takes the helm for this new instalment.
The screenplay reunites familiar talent, with Helen Fielding and Dan Mazer back on board. They’re joined by newcomer Abi Morgan. Universal Pictures continues its role as the film’s distributor, maintaining the series’ legacy.
Themes of Bridget Jones 4
Bridget Jones 4 undoubtedly will address themes of grief from Darcy’s death and the single mom life. Additionally, we can see there will be less focus on work and more on Bridget’s romantic life online.
Another theme that may be present is age gaps, given that her love interest is considerably younger than her. However, as the last chapter of the series, it seems there will be a focus on the central themes of Bridget Jones – including love, sex, friendship, and motherhood.
Promotional materials
The movie poster for Bridget Jones 4 was released in August 2024. The poster shows Zelwellger in a nostalgic look holding her iconic diary and red pen. The tagline reads “new decade new diary”, indicating we may see instances of our favorite protagonist’s diary content changing as she enters a new decade and era of her life.
Stills of the movie tease the relationship between Bridget and Roxster with a shot of her laying her head on his shoulder, also one of the other posters of the film shows a loved-up Bridget and Roxster in a close embrace with Jones smiling. Also on this poster is Chiwetel Ejiofor who plays primary school teacher Mr. Wallaker close next to Bridget, as well as her ex Cleaver with Darcy next to him at the bottom, indicating that Cleaver will play a part in helping Jones with her grief.
The tagline for this poster is: “She is starting a new chapter. Just as she is,” hinting that although she may be a shell of herself without her husband, she is learning to navigate grief, loss, single motherhood, and love.
As the last chapter in the series, everyone eagerly awaits Bridget Jones 4 and definitely can’t wait to see how they close out the story.
