It's been eight years since everyone's favourite singleton Bridget Jones last graced our screens, and thankfully she's returning next year for one final instalment. Filming for the new Bridget Jones film, based on Helen Fielding's third book 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy', is well underway and Renee Zellweger has slipped back into Bridget's shoes as if she never took them off.
If you're wondering how we know that, it's because endless clips from the film set in West London have been shared on social media, which is great for our curiosity and probably a real nuisance for the cast and crew.
Why has the Bridget Jones film been delayed?
But it's not all plain sailing. It's been reported that Bridget Jones 4 has faced a 'devastating' setback after a cast member was hospitalised after a recent off set 'accident', stalling filming that was meant to be taking place at Petersham Nurseries in Richmond. The film was scheduled to be released on Valentine's Day 2025, but this has reportedly been delayed as producers are unable to continue filming until the cast member recovers.
An insider told The Sun that they'd been due to shoot 'some of the film's most important scenes' before the setback. 'This has all been so devastating for the entire cast and all the hardworking staff who were down to work,' they said.
Despite the reported setbacks, we're still excited to find out what Bridget Jones has been up to for the past eight years. Who is she dating? What happened to Mark Darcy? Is she still friends with Shazza, Jude and Tom? And is Daniel Cleaver really making a comeback?
What is the new Bridget Jones film about?
The fourth Bridget Jones film is based on the third book in the series by Helen Fielding. Brace yourself, Bridget Jones is now a widow after her beloved husband Mark Darcy (who is played by Colin Firth in the films) passed away. She is forced to navigate life without him as she raises their two children, and begins to open herself up to dating again.
Of course, the book is called 'Mad About the Boy', which is a slight giveaway. Our Bridget falls for a younger man, and it's a foregone conclusion that said 'younger man' is being played by heartthrob of the moment Leo Woodall.
Who is starring in the new Bridget Jones film?
In the fourth film, fans can expect to see many of their favourite characters reprised. Of course, Renee Zellweger is starring as Bridget Jones and Leo Woodall is playing her love interest, we also know her doctor from the last film played by Emma Thompson is returning. Then 12 Years A Slave actor Chiwetel Ejiofor and The Wedding Crashers star Isla Fisher have also joined the cast, as has fan favourite Hugh Grant who plays the infamous Daniel Cleaver.
In fact, Grant, 63, has revealed he thinks this script is ‘the best one’ of all the Bridget Jones films. ‘It is very moving as well as funny,’ he said recently. ‘It’s partly based on Helen Fielding’s experiences of bringing up two children by herself after her husband died. And so Bridget is bringing up two kids and wondering whether she should ever go back to dating. It’s a very good script... in fact, one of the best scripts I have read in a long time.’
When is the new Bridget Jones film out?
Filming for the new Bridget Jones movie has only just begun and it's expected to land in cinemas in 2025. In news that will no doubt irk UK fans, the film will be out in the US on 14 February but the UK date hasn't been confirmed yet.
Who does Leo Woodall play?
Mad About the Boy is set five years after Mark Darcy's death and Bridget vows to 'keep buggering on' in the wake of her grief. If the film script stays close to the book, this is where we will find her.
Enter Leo Woodall, who is believed to be playing Bridget's son's ruggedly handsome teacher, Mr Wallaker. In true Bridget Jones fashion, their meet cute is when Bridget gets stuck up a tree and Mr Wallaker helps her get down.
Leo Woodall, 27, first found fame as Jack in season two of The White Lotus, a performance that was swiftly eclipsed when Netflix's adaptation of One Day came out in February. In this smash hit series, Leo played the chaotic but loveable Dexter Mayhew and the actor has since amassed more than one million followers on Instagram.
It's the perfect next step, then, for Leo to build on his dreamboat status and enter the world of Bridget Jones as her latest crush.
Is Hugh Grant returning?
All signs suggest Hugh Grant is making a comeback in the 2025 film. He opted out of the third film Bridget Jones' Baby, leaving Colin Firth to keep loyal fans happy and play one of Bridget's love interests.
However, Daniel Cleaver is set to pop back up and do what he does best – cause chaos in Bridget's life. No doubt he will appear when things in her life start to calm down and she's happily dating someone new. We already know what her friends will have to say about it...
When asked about his role reprisal on a US chat show Hugh Grant simply said, 'I thought I was dead. I guess I'm not dead after all.'
Who does Isla Fisher play?
Isla Fisher, who recently announced she was divorcing Sacha Baron Cohen after 14 years, has also been spotted on the set of Bridget Jones. She is rumoured to play one of Bridget's friends and was seen wearing a pink dress, black knee-high socks and brown slip-on shoes.
A source told The Sun, 'Isla plays a single mother who befriended Bridget at the school gates. Isla loves Bridget Jones and is thrilled that she landed the part. Her own experience will help her in the role and it's great she's landed such a big part after a really tough time.'
What happened at the end of the last film?
If all this talk of Bridget Jones has got you thinking about the last three films and made you want to cancel your plans so you can watch them all again, here's a reminder of how the third film ended.
At the end of Bridget Jones' Baby, time fast forwards a year and Bridget finally marries Mark – who it turns out is her son William's father after all. Her former love interest Jack (Patrick Dempsey) is a guest, showing no sign of resentment or jealousy and is happily playing with Mark and Bridget's baby at the wedding. It seems like, at long last, Bridget Jones found her happy ending.
Then the film ends with a newspaper headline revealing: 'Daniel Cleaver has been found alive'.