News

To declare a subject a “genius” in a title is a bold opening move. Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius arrives timed for the 250th anniversary of its subject’s birth, positioning itself not just as a biography but as a definitive cultural statement.

This three-part series aims to dismantle the stuffy, tea-and-doilies image of Austen, reassembling her for a contemporary audience as a sharp-witted social critic and a revolutionary force in literature. The program’s ambition is clear: to move beyond the familiar romance plots and investigate the mechanics of a mind that permanently altered the novel form.

It sets out on a comprehensive exploration of her life, her meticulously crafted work, and her creative process. The project undertakes the significant task of explaining why Austen’s contributions from two centuries ago continue to feel immediate and vital in the modern world.

The Documentary’s Framework – A Mixed Media...

Renée Zellweger would return to her iconic role as Bridget Jones if given the chance. The 56-year-old actress first brought Bridget Jones to life in 2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary, reprising the role in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004 and Bridget Jones’s Baby in 2016. She has now told The Hollywood Reporter: “I keep my fingers crossed that (author and Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding) might want to share some more of her own experiences through the world of Bridget.”Bridget originally appeared in newspaper columns for London’s Independent before blossoming into a bestselling novel series and then a film franchise.Renée added about where the movie series is at: “My understanding was that this was kind of it, but I keep my fingers crossed that she might want to share some more of her own experiences through the world of Bridget.”Mad About the Boy expanded...

Renee Zellweger is revealing if she’d do more Bridget Jones movies.

If you don’t know, Renee has starred in the title role of Bridget Jones in all four films! She starred in the original film, released in 2001, plus the two follow up movies, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) and Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016). Then, the franchise was revived for 2025′s Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

Keep reading to find out more…

Renee told THR, “My understanding was that this was kind of it, but I keep my fingers crossed that she might want to share some more of her own experiences through the world of Bridget.”

Filmmaker Michael Morris added, “Me too. And look who we’ve got: Chiwetel Ejiofor in the world now, and we’ve got Leo Woodall in the world now. We’ve got all these fantastic people and [, author and screenwriter Helen Fielding]’s got her life,...

When Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy debuted in February (on Peacock in the U.S. and in theaters abroad), it had been nearly nine years since a film focused on the adventures of the beloved British singleton. Would audiences respond with the same affections for Ms. Jones in 2025 that they had when she was introduced to the world with Bridget Jones’s Diary in 2001 or the follow-ups, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004 or Bridget Jones’s Baby in 2016? Turns out the answer was a bloody yes, indeed!

Credit the collaboration of two-time Oscar winner Renée Zellweger, who slipped back into Bridget’s life (and accent) like no time had passed, author and screenwriter Helen Fielding, and the new man on the scene, filmmaker Michael Morris. But the truth is, time had passed. Mad About the Boy picks up four years after the crushing death of Bridget’s true love,...

Renée Zellweger admitted she had “a hard time” when she first met her costar Hugh Grant in “Bridget Jones’ Diary” because she was “such a fan.”

“I was so nervous, I just didn’t want to make a jerk out of myself,” she revealed. “I didn’t succeed.” She noted that in college, she lived above an independent movie theater and would see all the British film that came through, including “Maurice” and “Impromptu.”

“I just thought, ‘Gosh he’s so handsome!’ And now I’m going to do a movie with him?” Zellweger said.

Zellweger was speaking on Saturday to an audience following an FYC screening of “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” the fourth and final installment in the rom-com series adapted from Helen Fielding’s novels, now streaming on Peacock. The two-time Oscar winner reflected on 25 years of playing the beloved character and her chemistry with her fellow actors.

For more than two decades, Renée Zellweger was Bridget Jones. And now, as she hangs up the diary in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, she’s doing it with both laughter and tears.

"I love this character,” Zellweger proclaimed during a recent FYC screening event for the film. “I love her vulnerability, and I love to find spaces where she's just not quite feeling that she measures up, and the opportunity to meet her again in different stages of her life and to learn how she's different.”

The fourth and final installment of the beloved franchise — which was streamed in the U.S. on Peacock and is in Emmy contention in categories including Outstanding Television Movie, lead actress for Zellweger, and directing for Michael Morris — offers something fans have never seen before: Bridget not only older and wiser, but grieving, growing, and still full of hope.

Morris had one...

Hollywood star Renée Zellweger, best known for her role as Bridget Jones in the beloved romantic comedy film series, could be on the verge of making history with the same iconic character. The actress, who first portrayed Bridget in the 2001 adaptation of Helen Fielding’s novel, recently reprised the role in the fourth installment of the franchise.

And new reports suggest that the most recent addition to the franchise could earn her a unique and historic distinction, something no actor has reportedly achieved before.

Peacock submits Renée Zellweger’s Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy for Emmys

Released exclusively on Peacock earlier this year, Renée Zellweger’s Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy has officially made its Emmy submissions, including for Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, as per Deadline.

Related: “I want that movie to not exist”: Jennifer Lawrence...

Renee Zellweger might be making history with her iconic character Bridget Jones.

If you didn’t know, Renee was nominated for her first Oscar for playing the titular role in the 2001 film Bridget Jones’ Diary. The fourth installment of the franchise, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, was released on Peacock in February 2025.

Now, Renee has been submitted by Peacock for an Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Mad About the Boy. If she earns a nomination, she will be the first actress to be nominated for an Oscar and Emmy for the same role.

Keep reading to find out more…

Meanwhile, Hugh Grant, who reprised his role as Daniel Cleaver, has also been submitted for Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Michael Morris has been submitted for Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, while Helen Fielding,...

Exclusive: Mad About the Boy, the fourth installment in the Bridget Jones film series, was released exclusively on Peacock in the U.S., making it a TV movie eligible for Emmy Awards.

The sequel to the 2016 Bridget Jones’ Baby has set its Emmy submissions, including Outstanding Television Movie and star Renée Zellweger who is looking to make awards history by earning both an Oscar and Emmy nomination for the same role, the endearing eponymous British heroine who journals her search for love.

Zellweger landed the first of her four Oscar nominations to date (including two wins) for the first installment in the franchise, the 2001 Bridget Jones’ Diary. She is being submitted by Peacock for Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

One of Zellweger’s leading men in the first two Bridget Jones movies, Hugh Grant, also made a return in Mad About the Boy, reprising his...

Cinematographer Suzie Lavelle is probably best known for her exceptional skill in creating intimate moments between friends and romantic partners in projects like Normal People and Conversations With Friends. So perhaps there was no better project for her to make the leap into franchise filmmaking than Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, especially since director Michael Morris (To Leslie) had wanted to take a more grounded approach to the longtime romantic comedy series.

“I think some of our tastes were already aligned because I’d met him as a fan of his work. And he had seen my work and seen Conversations With Friends. He was interested in this sort of real and grounded approach to Bridget Jones — a more naturalistic approach than the previous films, I suppose,” Lavelle tells Gold Derby in an interview as part of our Meet the Experts: TV Cinematography panel. “And that’s how it came to be.

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy Worldwide Box Office: 5th Weekend Update (Photo Credit – YouTube)

Renee Zellweger’s romantic comedy Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy has surpassed a significant milestone at the worldwide box office. The film proved to be a financial success despite not being released in the United States. It is earning decent numbers at the international box office. However, as per reports, it will remain the lowest grossing in the franchise. Keep scrolling for the deets.

The Bridget Jones franchise has four films, the first of which came out in 2001, over twenty years ago. According to The Numbers, the franchise has grossed over $856.8 million worldwide. The franchise is based on the book series by Helen Fielding. Zellweger plays the titular role, along with an ensemble supporting cast. The rom-com follows the story and life of Bridget Jones and the primary characters, including Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver.

This week marks the end of another SXSW Film & TV Festival, where IndieWire’s “Screen Talk” co-host Ryan Lattanzio was on the ground to review and cover films including Nicole Kidman’s suburban satire “Holland,” A24’s horror-comedy “Death of a Unicorn,” and Matthew McConaughey’s first film role in six years with the bluegrass-tinted Oklahoma Western “The Rivals of Amziah King.”

We recap the festival on this week’s “Screen Talk” episode, where documentaries including “The Python Hunt” (the latest nonfiction film from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Artists Equity after U2 doc “Kiss the Future” and Jennifer Lopez’s “The Greatest Love Story Never Told”) and the UFO investigation “The Age of Disclosure” popped on the ground. “The Python Hunt” centers on a snake-hunting contest in the Florida Everglades and has earned comparisons to “Tiger King.” Meanwhile, while “The Age of Disclosure” wowed audiences with its talking-heads...

Renee Zellweger "never" imagined making four 'Bridget Jones' movies.The 55-year-old actress first played the iconic character in 2001's 'Bridget Jones's Diary' - which was based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Helen Fielding - but Renee never expected that she would still be in the role 24 years later.Asked if she ever imagined herself playing the character in four films, Renee told The Hollywood Reporter: "Never. Never. No, I just didn’t want to get fired off the first thing, and I didn’t want to let anybody down, and I wanted Helen to be happy."The latest 'Bridget Jones' movie, 'Mad About the Boy', features a host of so-called Easter eggs. And the actress believes that the hidden references are an authentic parts of someone’s story.Renee said: "That’s life, isn’t it? We have our little things that are consistent...

The fourth and, supposedly final, entry in the Bridget Jones franchise, Mad About the Boy, now streaming on Peacock, is stuffed full of Easter eggs and callbacks to past movies in the Renée Zellweger-starring rom-com series.

From the blue cocktails Bridget enjoys with her friends after yet another painful dinner with many smug married couples to her red-and-white penguin pajamas, sheer top and short skirt and a memorable sweater, the fourth film features numerous reminders of Bridget’s past.

Director Michael Morris says the Easter eggs are an intentional form of fan service.

“There are more probably than you would ever see in the first run through,” the director told The Hollywood Reporter at the Mad About the Boy New York premiere last month. “You could say Easter eggs are fan service. What’s wrong with fan service? Those are people who have been with the franchise for 25 years.

The Bridget Jones franchise has a long history, starting all the way back in 2001. And it has won over many fans over the years. No wonder there was excitement for the fourth entrant in the franchise. But the result might have exceeded even the filmmaker’s expectations.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy hit the theatres back in February 2025. Outside the US that is. Domestically, it was directly released on Peacock (a move that the people in charge might be regretting now). In the international market, it had to deal with competition from bigwigs like Captain America: Brave New World. But it seems like it has held its own.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy passed a major Box Office milestone Captain America: Brave New World‘s box office run has been ruling the headlines || Marvel Studios

14th February 2025 was a big day for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The franchise...

Exclusive: Universal/Working Title’s Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy has crossed the $100 million mark at the international box office. The return of Renée Zellweger as the titular heroine swept past the milestone with Wednesday’s numbers included, reaching $101.3M through yesterday.

Whereas this is a direct-to-Peacock play domestically, Universal is releasing theatrically overseas. In 75 Uni markets through Wednesday, the gross is $94.8M. Studiocanal handles France where the total to date is $6.5M. Note that Universal still has Japan and Korea on deck, on April 11 and April 16, respectively.

Mad About the Boy, directed by Michael Morris and starring Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Woodall, has now topped the offshore lifetime of Ticket to Paradise, making it Working Title’s biggest film post-pandemic.

In the UK & Ireland, the fourquel remains at a strong No. 1 with a running total of $47.6M through Wednesday. It surpassed the lifetimes of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason...

Bridget Jones’s Baby saw the heroine finally get her happy ending when she married Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). It seems Bridget (Renée Zellweger) finally had everything she wanted — she was no longer single, and she was a mother. Therefore, the direction of another story seemed unclear, as the central component of each story had been Bridget’s romantic endeavors. So, when author Helen Fielding set about writing Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, she knew she had to make Bridget single once again — and this was replicated in the movie. However, Mark Darcy would never leave Bridget after their happy ending, so he had to be tragically killed off. The decision allowed the fourth movie to create a much more mature tone compared to its predecessors dealing with topics such as grief.

Key figures from the UK creative sector have urged the government to rethink plans that would automatically include UK creative assets in generative AI modelling.

Former Bafta chair and producer Pippa Harris, Eon’s Barbara Broccoli and directors Paul King and Martin McDonagh are among those who signed a letter to The Times saying that proposed changes “represent a wholesale giveaway of rights and income from the UK creative sectors to big tech”.

The government’s AI and Copyright Consultationproposes introducing a new exemption in copyright law that would allow tech companies to train their AI models on creative works including films,...

Did you hear there is a new Bridget Jonesmovie out? While even asking that sounds stupid given the franchise's 20 years of success, there's a reason you could've missed the fourth installment: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy premiered exclusively on Peacock. It is unclear why Universal decided to forgo a US theatrical release, especially considering it wasreleased in theaters internationally — already hitting $73 million after its second weekend. Perhaps it is because Peacock is only available in the US or Universal feared turnout would be worse than the previous Bridget Jones installment, which grossed a mere $25 million in the US, but $187 million internationally. There hasn't been much comment on the matter apart from the book series's author, Helen Fielding, telling Variety that she "completely respect[s] what Universal decided to do," and "people watch Bridget — all three movies are still streaming — so they will watch this one at home. It’s a...

Movie adaptations of popular books have introduced some of the most popular and critically acclaimed films, from Blade Runner to Wicked. Many adaptations often introduce multiple changes to the original story, adding new details and leaving others out of the film version. This is particularly true for book series with movie adaptations such as Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and even the Twilight saga. But whether the movie is faithful to its source material or not, there's no denying that film adaptations of novels and book series always catch the public's attention. And in 2025, many new book adaptations are waiting to earn the public's interest.

From the latest entry in the Bridget Jones film series to viral thriller books coming to the big screen like The Housemaid, there are many movie adaptations to look forward to. Viewers who like to read the book before watching a movie adaptation...

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boyofficially surpasses all three of its rom-com predecessors at the box office.

Per Variety, the recently released Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy has reached the $71 million mark at the overseas box office, and is set to go beyond the $75 million mark by the end of the weekend. This is well above the bar set by all three previous Bridget Jones films at the same point in their respective original theatrical runs, setting a new record for the long-running romantic comedy series.

Related'Constantine's Going to Be Tortured Even More': Keanu Reeves Shares Exciting Update on Long-Awaited Sequel

Keanu Reeves confirms that he was personally part of the pitch team behind bringing Constantine 2 before the execs at DC Studios.

Based on Helen Fielding's novel series of the same name, the Bridget Jones feature film franchise began with 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary which, like the original novel,...

Leo Woodall was four years old in 2001, when Renée Zellweger charmed global audiences as the titular hapless romantic of Bridget Jones’s Diary. The film, which earned Zellweger her first Oscar nomination, became regular viewing for the London-born actor and his family at Christmas time each year. But he never could have imagined at the time that he would one day be playing Zellweger’s love interest in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, the fourth and final installment of the franchise based on Helen Fielding’s novels.

“Bridget Jones...

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy brought the band back together, with stars like Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant reprising their roles, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, and Isla Fisher joining the cast. Despite the caliber of talent involved, the film didn’t get an American theatrical release, instead sneaking onto Peacock last week.

stream on peacock

The film is directed by Michael Morris and is...

Latest film in the series starring Renée Zellweger has posted record-breaking figures on its home turf

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy has exceeded expectations at the UK box office, becoming the best-performing romcom in the UK on opening weekend ever.

The fourth instalment in the adventures of Helen Fielding’s bumbling diarist made $14.9m (£11.8m) over its four-day opening weekend, beating all three previous instalments, the second of which, Edge of Reason, was the previous record-holder with $8.1m.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy director Michael Morris faced the challenge of aligning the titular character readers and viewers know and love with a major tragedy in her life followed by her resilience to keep living, not just surviving.

The fourth film introduces two new love interests — Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Mr. Walliker and Leo Woodall’s Roxster — into Bridget’s orbit as she gets through the early period of grief following the death of her husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) in between Bridget Jones’ Baby (2016) and Mad About the Boy.

“The loss of someone unlosable in your life is, sadly, just something that so many of us have to deal with,” Morris said. “Because of the nature of that, of where [Bridget] is, because the world feels maybe a little bit unstructured in some in some ways that make us anxious these days, I think it’s important for the movie,...

It's rare that the fourth film in a franchise will get the best reviews of the bunch, especially when it's released a whole decade after the previous movie in the franchise, but that seems to be the case with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. The film has a higher critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes than the previous three entries and is surprisingly successful with fans, especially when you consider the fact that it's been relegated to the streaming platform Peacock, at least in the U.S. It seems to be a rare case of quality actually getting the recognition it deserves. "It's a really good script," said Hugh Grant in a MovieWeb interview in 2024. "In my humble opinion, it's the best script of the four films so far."

Grant spoke with MovieWeb before he filmed his scenes in the new movie (a pleasant surprise for fans of the Bridget...

For a perpetually frustrated single woman, Bridget Jones always had good taste in men. On the big screen 24 years ago, “Bridget Jones’s Diary” cemented Colin Firth’s sex appeal as human rights lawyer Mark Darcy and made us swoon for Hugh Grant all over again as roguish book publisher Daniel Cleaver. So it’s no surprise that the first time 28-year-old Leo Woodall met Bridget Jones, he was uncharacteristically nervous.

“I was just sweaty,” Woodall admits in a posh Claridge’s hotel room in his hometown of London, cringing at the thought that he rode his bike across the city to meet her. “I was like, ‘Why did I do that? Why didn’t I just get the bus?’ And so it took me a minute to gather myself.”

He had just scored a leading role as free-spirited park ranger Roxster McDuff in “Mad About the Boy,” the fourth installment of the “Bridget Jones” franchise.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy celebrates Valentine’s Day by ranking No. 1 on Peacock. Renée Zellweger returns to the small screen as the romantic comedy’s titular character for the first time since Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016) and discovers the "casual cruelty" of being ghosted by a new lover. However, despite nearly a decade having passed, the latest sequel in the franchise is scoring with both critics and audiences, even though the film has killed off Bridget’s husband and fan-favorite Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Book lovers know that Mark also died in author Helen Fielding's 2013 novel of the same name.

Peacock's Mad About the Boy currently registers a “Certified Fresh” 85% on the Tomatometer against 80 reviews posted by the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans are also enjoying Mrs. Darcy's return to the dating world, as evidenced by the rom-com’s Popcornmeter rating (formerly the Rt audience score) of 83%. This time around,...

Expertly timed to coincide with Valentine’s Day, the fourth — and apparently final — installment in the iconic Bridget Jones franchise has now been released, available on Peacock in the U.S. and in theaters via Universal around the world, including the U.K.

The long-gestating “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” — based on Helen Fielding’s third Jones novel — drags cinema’s favourite diary-writing singleton in the 2020s, this time as a widow with two small children and who’s nervously reentering the dating scene. As the story sounds, it’s considerably more emotional than the previous titles, but still manages to pack in the all-important rom and com.

For director Michael Morris, “Mad About a Boy” marks only his second feature and came his way after a chance meeting with Fielding at a friend’s house. As she described the story of the novel he says it got him...

Plot: After jumping back into the dating pool, single mother Bridget Jones finds herself caught between a younger man and her son’s science teacher.

Review: Back in 2001, there was some slight controversy surrounding Renee Zellweger being cast as the frumpy, overweight character of Bridget Jones. Known for her svelte physique, the pounds Zellweger gained for the role in the adaptation of the Helen Fielding novel was just the right amount to make the romantic comedy co-starring Hugh Grant and Colin Firth a hit with critics and audiences. The sequels, 2004’s Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby, brought in less than their predecessor at the box office, with the second film lambasted by critics. The newest entry in the series, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, has arrived directly to Peacock with a global theatrical release slated for outside of North America. Bringing back...

Universal’s Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy leads new releases in UK and Ireland cinemas this weekend after grossing just shy of £2.1m in previews on Thursday (February 13).

Taking advantage of Valentine’s Day, the fourth instalment in the British romantic comedy franchise screens in 733 venues from today. The £2.1m Thursday total is on par with 2008’s Sex And The City as the highest-grossing single-day preview for a romantic comedy in the territory.

Renee Zellweger returns to screens as the titular Bridget Jones, now a fifty-something widow who decides to head back to work and begin dating again. Hugh Grant...

Bridget Jones’s Diary started as a newspaper column by Helen Fielding, became a megabestselling novel in 1996 and was adapted as a 2001 movie that grossed close to $300 million worldwide. Of course producers and audiences have wanted to keep this franchise churning out more installments across multiple media — more books, more movies, even a stage musical that never quite worked out. If you’re like me and loved the first novel and movie, you probably can’t remember anything about subsequent additions to the franchise beyond moderate to severe disappointment: After all, most stories in this genre end on “happily ever after” for a reason. And while the original Bridget Jones’s Diary is untouchable among both romcom And Christmas movies, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy seems to have been made by people who know that, and know what you loved about it.

Bridget Jones’s Diary was winning for a lot of reasons,...

Helen Fielding will "never forgive herself" for killing off Colin Firth's character in the 'Bridget Jones' franchise.The 66-year-old author is behind the best-selling diary series that focuses on the titular London woman always looking for love and while the 'Mamma Mia!' star appeared as Mark Darcy in the first three adaptations of the books, his alter ego had died in an explosion four years ahead of the events depicted in new installment 'Mad About the Boy.'Helen told People: "I'll never forgive myself for killing him."I didn’t mean to and he’s actually still alive!"It was just the character that was killed, and it wasn't my fault really. It was just what happened in the story!"The film series stars Renee Zellweger in the title role, and Hugh Grant also appears as Daniel Cleaver but Helen admitted that the cast and the characters...

Renée Zellweger returns as Bridget, navigating love, loss, and motherhood in the latest sequel.

Bridget Jones is back and ready to charm us all over again! In “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” Renée Zellweger returns as Bridget, now navigating life as a single mom after the loss of her husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth noooooo). Juggling work, raising kids, and reentering the dating scene, Bridget finds herself in all-too-relatable situations. Lucky for us, Hugh Grant is back, and Chiwetel Ejiofor joins the cast, bringing a fresh dynamic to this classic franchise. With plenty of romance, misadventures, and, of course, diary entries, this latest chapter is a must-watch for longtime fans and should be a great ride for newcomers as well. You can stream “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” exclusively on Peacock starting Thursday, Feb. 13.

How to watch ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ When: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 at 12:01 a.

There's simply no doubting the success of the Bridget Jones franchise. Based on the series of novels by Helen Fielding, audiences across the world have reveled in the chance to see hapless romantic Bridget (Renée Zellweger) evolve and grow throughout the years, with the first installment now almost 24 years old. In that time, Bridget has found love, lost love, fought for love, and sung about love, all in the name of love, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

“Bridget Jones” author Helen Fielding has revealed Colin Firth‘s reaction to her decision to kill off beloved character Mark Darcy in the book, which is the basis for the fourth film, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

Colin portrayed the character in all three previous Bridget Jones films, and the two characters eventually had kids together.

Now, Helen is revealing Colin‘s reaction to hearing the news.

Keep reading to find out more…

“I’d had to previously call Colin up and ask if he had someone with him and if he was sitting down, and I told him that I’d killed him. And of course, he said, ‘You’ve killed the wrong one,’” Helen told Variety about Colin‘s reaction. Colin was seemingly referring to Hugh Grant‘s character, Daniel Cleaver, who notoriously treated Bridget poorly throughout the series.

Find out which 12 stars are returning for the fourth film,...

In “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” the neurotic, lovelorn heroine hasn’t just swapped cigarettes for Nicorette. She’s traded the big screen for Peacock, a second-tier streaming service where the franchise’s fourth entry will debut on Feb. 13.

“[People] will watch this one at home,” says Helen Fielding, the author who created Bridget Jones. “If you’re Bridget’s generation, it will be with a bottle of wine and a tub of ice cream. If you’re Gen Z, it will be with lots of minerals, potions and slippers. But it’s a good movie to watch on the sofa.”

Relegating “Mad About the Boy” to streaming signals how far the romantic comedy has fallen in the 24 years since Bridget first captured audiences’ hearts. When “Bridget Jones’s Diary” hit theaters in 2001, the genre was at its zenith, with Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock and of course Bridget herself,...

The iconic Bridget Jones franchise is set to captivate audiences once again with “Mad About the Boy,” premiering this week on Peacock in the United States and in United Kingdom cinemas. The film marks a significant departure from previous installments, exploring themes of loss, resilience, and personal growth.

Based on Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel, the new movie follows Bridget as a widow raising two young children after the death of her husband, Mark Darcy. The character’s journey promises to blend the series’ trademark humor with a more nuanced exploration of grief and new beginnings.

“It’s about seeing Bridget maintain her optimism while navigating the challenging experience of raising children alone,” Fielding told Variety. Drawing from her personal experience of loss, the author worked closely with screenwriters Dan Mazer and Abi Morgan to craft an authentic narrative.

The film introduces fresh romantic possibilities through new characters played by Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The night the third “Bridget Jones” novel, “Mad About the Boy,” came out in October 2013, author Helen Fielding was taking a walk in London when she passed her local pub and was accosted by a tipsy patron. “You’ve killed Colin Firth!” they shouted dramatically.

“Well the truth is, I didn’t ever intend to actually kill Colin,” Fielding tells Variety over Zoom, remembering the details of that day with a mischievous smile. She had instead ended the fictional life of Mark Darcy, the character Firth played alongside titular heroine Renée Zellweger in the “Bridget Jones” film adaptations, of which there were two at the time. Human rights lawyer Darcy was killed by a landmine in Sudan while negotiating the release of aid workers — an honorable way to go.

As a result, “Mad About the Boy” — the long-gestating film version of which debuts on Peacock in the U.S. Thursday and in U.

Renée Zellweger reprises her role as the beloved Bridget Jones – the character created by British author Helen Fielding in the hugely popular book series – in Mad About the Boy, the latest instalment in the iconic romantic comedy franchise. Directed by Michael Morris from a screenplay by Fielding and Dan Mazer, the film marks the first film in the franchise since Bridget Jones’s Baby, which released almost a decade ago.

Mad About The Boys picks up with Bridget navigating life as a single mother in her 50s after the tragic death of her husband Mark. Struggling to balance her career, parenting, and a chaotic love life, Bridget finds herself drawn to a much younger man named Roxster, (played by One Day and Prime Target star Leo Woodall).

Meanwhile, Bridget finds herself at odds with the stern and buttoned-up Mr Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), her children’s new science teacher. Along the way,...

Renée Zellweger looks as if she’s thinking of something else in weird fourquel that sees our heroine choosing between new suitors Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor

The last Bridget Jones film – the second sequel, about Bridget having a baby – executed the daring athletic leap of jumping the shark and then jumping back. There were some tired novelties but, by virtue of its conscientiously maintained stream of likable gags, it leapt back into our hearts and BJ3 seemed a decent way to sign off the franchise and remember Helen Fielding’s inspired creation. But though I was willing myself to enjoy this fourth film, about the heroine’s adventure with a younger man, the Bridget Jones series has frankly run out of steam.

This is a fourquel in the same unhappy tradition as Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. The jokes have been dialled down to accommodate a contrived and...

Looking at the evolution of Bridget Jones is like watching a suburb of a big city become gentrified or a very slow trainwreck happening before your eyes over a two-decade period. While every film follows the shenanigans and sexcapades of a middle to upper-class white woman in London, it does feel like the franchise becomes more excluding of certain viewers as it goes on. The original 2001 film, based on the novel by Helen Fielding, has become a legend in both the comedy and rom-com subgenres, a crowd-pleaser whether you watched it too young, later in life, or at the same age as the titular character. One of (if not the) best modern adaptations of classic literature, the original Bridget Jones’s Diary represents the best of studio British comedy. The sequel, naturally, fell behind but still thrived on the chemistry and humor of its three leads. A decade later, Bridget Jones...

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Bridget Jones comes to the rescue in a season where the holiday of love has so far been dedicated to horror (Heart Eyes) and action (Love Hurts). The latter, a violent Jackie Chan ripoff, is the one Universal chose to release in theaters in the U.S., but the fourth go-round with the delightful romantic comedy Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is the one Universal should have given as a valentine to U.S. exhibition. Instead, it is only being released in theaters internationally, and of course the UK for this very British movie. As for America? Well, you better subscribe to Peacock because inexplicably it is going day-and-date straight to streaming.

Studios still aren’t learning the lessons of last year’s surprise holiday season theatrical hit Anyone But You, or for that matter the Bridget Jones franchise itself, which has...

Renée Zellweger returns for the legendary diary’s last chapter. Here’s our Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy review.

Like Top Gun: Maverick and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish before it, it’s doubtful anyone thought they needed a Bridget Jones 4. Since the UK’s favourite middle-class mess stumbled into cinemas in 2001, both the inevitable follow-up (The Edge Of Reason) and late-2010s revival (Baby) have struggled to recapture the original’s magic. In the nine years since we last saw Bridget, an avalanche of legacy sequels, requels, reboots and marketing slogans have us beaten into submission; do we really need another one? The answer, resoundingly, is yes.

Now, Bridget’s middle-class malaise has “oh fuck”ed its way cheerfully into the 2020s: her best friend Miranda (Sarah Solemani) complains about spending too much time in Soho House; Shazzer (Sally Phillips) has a podcast, and her new nanny...

Oh, Bridget. Ever since she burst onto the scene, first in Helen Fielding’s popular Independent newspaper column in 1995 and bestselling novel a year later, then on the big screen in 2001, Bridget Jones has earned her place in the pantheon of iconic British characters. The first film’s script might have been co-written by romcom king Richard Curtis, but Bridget Jones’s Diary offered an authentic female perspective on the trials and tribulations of finding love at the turn of the millennium. It was goodbye to lovesick, floppy-haired heroes, and hello to giant knickers and Marlboro Lights.

Twenty-four years and a few sequels later, in Mad About The Boy, we find Bridget living on the edge of Hampstead Heath in North London, with two children under ten years old. Beloved husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), the ultra-honourable human rights lawyer, has been dead for four years, killed in Sudan. Bridget...

Universal’s “Dog Man” barked its way to the top of the U.K. and Ireland box office this weekend, debuting with a commanding £3.2 million ($4 million), according to Comscore.

The family-friendly animated adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s best-selling book series proved to be a major draw, delivering one of the biggest opening weekends of the year so far.

Last week’s leader, Disney’s “A Complete Unknown,” slid to second place, adding $1 million in its fourth weekend. The Timothée Chalamet-led Bob Dylan biopic has now reached $12.4 million. Also holding strong is Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which took third place with $869,889 in its eighth weekend. The prequel has now crossed $37.6 million, cementing itself as one of the highest-grossing family films of the season.

Trafalgar Releasing’s “Macbeth: David Tennant And Cush Jumbo,” the filmed stage production of Shakespeare’s tragedy climbed to fourth place with $858,637, bringing its total to $1.9 million.

Renee Zellweger will never "let go" of Bridget Jones.The 55-year-old actress returns as the character for the fourth and final time in the upcoming movie 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' but admits she will always be attached to the role that she has played for over two decades.Asked what she'll miss about the franchise, Renee told The Hollywood Reporter: "I'll miss spending time with everyone that's involved, friendships new and old."I don't think I'll ever let go of Bridget. I have conversations about Bridget Jones pretty much every day. I meet people on the sidewalk and they want to share about their own Bridget Jones experiences. All my friends call me Bridget!"The new picture sees Bridget as a widow following the death of her husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and Renee admits that the plot development changed the way she played the...

Renee Zellweger will never "let go" of Bridget Jones.The 55-year-old actress returns as the character for the fourth and final time in the upcoming movie 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' but admits she will always be attached to the role that she has played for over two decades.Asked what she'll miss about the franchise, Renee told The Hollywood Reporter: "I'll miss spending time with everyone that's involved, friendships new and old."I don't think I'll ever let go of Bridget. I have conversations about Bridget Jones pretty much every day. I meet people on the sidewalk and they want to share about their own Bridget Jones experiences. All my friends call me Bridget!"The new picture sees Bridget as a widow following the death of her husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and Renee admits that the plot development changed the way she played the...

The fourth instalment, Mad About the Boy, on course to become biggest homegrown hit of the year in the UK, but will only be available on streamers stateside

As the Oscars loom, cinemas are bracing themselves for a particular surge of interest in one hotly anticipated title. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, the fourth instalment in the misadventures of Helen Fielding’s hapless romantic, may be unlikely to dominate the Academy Awards, but it is set to clean up at screens across the country over the Valentine’s Day period – and beyond.

“We’re anticipating it to be one of the biggest titles of the year in the UK, the biggest British film of the year, and the biggest box office for the first half of 2025,” says Robert Mitchell, director of theatrical insights at Gower Street Analytics.

As the world prepares to wave goodbye — at least, for now — to Bridget Jones, maybe no one will miss her more than Renée Zellweger.

“I don’t think I’ll ever let go of Bridget,” the star tells The Hollywood Reporter (no shred of her impeccable British accent discernible — a Texan through and through).

Bridget Jones first landed on our screens nearly 25 years ago in Bridget Jones’s Diary when Zellweger embodied Helen Fielding’s titular protagonist like the character had been written for her. The movie was based on Fielding’s first book of the same name, which was an instant ’90s hit and sold over two million copies worldwide by 2006.

In its 2001 film adaptation, Zellweger fell headfirst into life as a London girl and audiences around the globe fell in love with a verbally incontinent spinster who drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney and dresses like her mother.