Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boycontinues the slice-of-life franchise with a shocking twist, as revealed when the first trailer dropped online. InBridget Jones 4, the beloved bumbling lawyer Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) has passed away, leaving Bridget (Renée Zellweger) a widow and single mother to the couple’s two children.
TheBridget Jonesmoviefranchise first began in 2001 withBridget Jones’s Diary, following a 30-something Bridget making her way through life and love in Y2K-era London, based on Helen Fielding’s novel of the same name.
The franchise’s hilariously offbeat dialogue and dry British humor made the film a smash hit, despite thechanges theBridget Jonesmovies make to the books.Over 20 years later,theBridget Jonesfranchise remains culturally relevant – namely, for its ability to showcase a dynamic and realistic female leadwith contemporary commentary through Bridget’s career as a news producer. As the upcoming film approaches its release on Peacock, there are several major plot points to remember from previous installments and the new trailer itself.
8Bridget Jones Works As A Successful TV News Producer
After Working As A TV Host, Bridget Now Finds Happiness In Producing
InBridget Jones’s Diary, Bridget first works in publishing under her handsome but womanizing boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). Meanwhile, at a Christmas party, Bridget’s mother (Gemma Jones) re-introduces Bridget to a childhood friend, the stable Mark Darcy. When Bridget overhears Mark telling his mother that Bridget smokes, drinks, and makes too many vulgar jokes, Bridget’s New Year’s Resolution becomes to turn her life around, which she documents in the titular diary. In the film’s sequel,Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,she works on a travel show with Daniel.
Without Darcy, I’m Actually Relieved Daniel Cleaver Has A Small Role In Bridget Jones 4
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy will bring Daniel Cleaver back but in a smaller role, which is a huge relief now that Darcy won’t be around anymore.
As the story goes, Bridget first dates Daniel, and their tumultuous relationship coupled with his cheating leads to a disastrous and very public breakup. Bridget in turn leaves her job at the publishing house and instead opts to work in television. At first, she is given outlandish assignments. However, with the help of Mark’s connection, she lands an important interview about a landmark legal case that elevates her career. As the most recent installment,2016’sBridget Jones’s Baby, reveals, Bridget has since become a successful television news producer.
7How Bridget Jones & Mark Darcy Met
Bridget & Mark Met First Met As Children Before Bridget Jones’s Diary
People areworried about Colin Firth not returning toBridget Jones, for good reason.Mark and Bridget’s parents are friends, and the couple first met as children one summerdecades before the events of the film. They are reunited when their parents attempt to match them up at an ugly sweater party on Christmas. Mark is at firstfloored by Bridget’s lack of decorum but later learns that it is part of her charm.The couple balance each other, with Bridget encouraging the calm and collected Mark to try new things and Mark offering Bridget the stability and comfort she needs.
The couple go through many trials and tribulations throughout the franchise, including countless misunderstandings that cause Bridget to distrust Mark, leading to their first breakup. They later reconcile when Mark comes to Bridget’s rescue in a prison in Thailand, where she is incarcerated after her friend accidentally attempts to travel with cocaine. They become engaged, but this engagement is later broken and Mark marries and divorces a woman named Camilla (Angi Scott). After all the chaos, the couple find their way back to one another inBridget Jones’s Baby.
6Daniel Cleaver Is Revealed To Be Alive
The lore with Daniel runs deep for Bridget Jones. While the titular character ultimately falls for Mark after a string of miscommunications, Daniel continues to pop up throughout the franchise. From their mutual connections to overlapping careers, he is never far out of sight. Naturally, the men often tussle over their respective relationships with Bridget throughout the franchise, both due to their personal grudges and Mark always having her best interests at heart.
InBridget Jones’s Baby, Bridget, Mark, and his ex-wife all attend the funeral of Daniel, who is presumed to have died in a plane crash, despite his body never being found. At the very end of the film,anewspaper clipping reveals that Daniel was discovered alive after all.AsBridget Jones: Mad About the Boyhas killed off Mark, the trailer thus far depicts Daniel as a family friend to Bridget’s childrenand hints that they are no longer romantically involved.
5Mark Darcy Is The Father Of Bridget Jones' Baby
Bridget Was Happily Married To Mark Until His Death
Although Mark and Bridget reunite following his divorce, Bridget gets cold feet and abruptly runs out. Her friends console her by inviting her to attend a very muddy music festival (featuring a cameo from Ed Sheeran). She meets and sleeps with an American named Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey), who, unbeknownst to Bridget at the moment, is a billionaire dating app founder. Bridget then discovers she is pregnant when she returns home to London.
Bridget Jones’s Babyfollows both Mark and Jack vying for Bridget’s affections, while they await the birth to confirm which one is the father. They humorously attempt to one-up each other until they ultimately wish one another well. The film’s ending reveals that Mark is the father of the baby, and given Bridget’s long romantic history and strong love for him, he is now her husband. The trailer forBridget Jones: Mad About the Boyreveals that the couple later had a second child.
What is the best Bridget Jones movie?
The official poster for Bridget Jones: Mad About You, the fourth installment in the series, has been released. It could be hard for the movie to live up to the past ones, especially the first movie, Bridget Jones’s Diary, which is the best of the three that have been released. Bridget Jones’s Diary set a high bar as a charming romantic comedy with heartfelt, funny performances. Though the sequels are worthy follow-ups, nothing can beat the first movie.
Bridget’s marriage to Mark had been a long time coming. Despite his early protestations, Mark later famously reminds Bridget that he loves her, “just the way she is,“a moment loosely based on Jane Austen’sPride & Prejudice. The films are all adapted from writer Fielding’s novels, and Fielding confirmed in an interview with the BBC that the allusions to the classic Regency-era novel were intentional, including Mark’s last name. Screenwriter Andrew Davies adapted the 1995 version ofPride & Prejudice,in which Firth additionally starred (viaBustle).
4Why Bridget Jones Previously Broke Up With Daniel Cleaver
Bridget Dumped Daniel For His Womanizing & Lies About Mark
Bridget first breaks up with Daniel inBridget Jones’s Diarybecause of his noncommittal womanizing ways; the final straw is his cheating on her with an American coworker. Daniel then makes several vain attempts to get Bridget back, including trying to persuade her to continue working for his publishing house. During a visit to her parents' house, Bridget’s mother casually mentions that Daniel also told Bridget a major lie during their relationship, changing the game entirely.
That being, Daniel told Bridget that Mark slept with his ex-fianceé. The opposite is revealed, meaning that Daniel slept with Mark’s ex-fianceébehind his back, effectively marking the end of their friendship. Mark and Daniel were once best friends during their college years at Cambridge University. The pair have not crossed paths in years until their mutual involvement with Bridget, which culminates in their glass-shattering fight inBridget Jones’s Diary.
3Jack’s Current Role In Bridget Jones' Life
Jack Will Not Appear In The Upcoming Bridget Jones Film
Jack is seen attending Mark and Bridget’s weddingat the end ofBridget Jones’s Baby. Dempsey is not returning orMad About the Boy, and is unlikely to be a significant part of Bridget’s life anymore in the upcoming film. Despite his willingness to step in as a father when he was potentially the child’s biological parent, Jack is a hardworking and career-driven character and is distinctly American. It becomes clear that while Jack has good intentions, he would not be a strong match for Bridget in the long term.
A major aspect ofBridget Jones’s Babyis Jack learning to adjust to life in London. Given that Mark was alive for several years between the last film andMad About the Boy, it is likely that Jack gradually lost touch with Bridget. However, knowing Bridget’s complex inner monologue style narration, it is likely he will be name-dropped inMad About the Boy, but will still not have a significant role.
2Bridget Jones' Friends Will Be There To Support Her
Bridget’s Friends Always Uplift Her In Trying Times, & They Will Soon Return
Bridget’s quirky friend group has always been an integral aspect of theBridget Jonesworld. Her friends often encourage her to believe in herself and offer her advice on how to tackle her predicaments. Even when things go wrong, her friends are there to support and console her without judgment, often offering the unconditional love she needs. These companions add a unique layer to the film and make Bridget one of the more developed female romantic comedy leads in recent decades.
Additionally, inBridget Jones’s Baby,her friend Tom (James Callis) tells her he plans to adopt a baby with his long-term partner.Mad About the Boywill likely examine the friend group now that they are all parents. AsTom and Bridget’s first children would be close in age, the film can also showcase the second generation of friendshipbetween them.
Leo Woodall Will Appear As Roxster
Yet it wouldn’t be aBridget Jonesmovie without some romantic tensions.Leo Woodall will appear as Roxster,Bridget’s strapping 29-year-old new love interest. Woodall has previously appeared as a scammer from Essex inThe White Lotusand Dexter Mayhew in Netflix’s adaptation ofOne Day.Little is known about the character, but based on the trailer, he appears to rescue Bridget and her children from a tree they attempted to climb at the local park. As Bridget is now a widow and mother of two,Mad About The Boywill explore the complexities of finding new love through grief.
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This plot element makes the upcoming fourth installment of theBridget Jonesfranchise feel decidedly contemporary.Mad About the Boywill join the ranks of other recent age-gap romance films featuring younger men and older women, including Prime Video’sThe Idea Of You,Netflix’sThe Lonely Planet, and the upcoming A24 thrillerBabygirl. While the absence of Mark will be felt, it is clear from the trailer that the spirit at the heart of theBridget Jonesfranchise remains strong inBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boypremieres in February 2025 on Peacock.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy
Cast
Widowed for four years, Bridget Jones raises her children while supported by friends and family. Pressed to rebuild her life, she returns to work and explores dating, meeting a younger man. Balancing romance, work, and motherhood, Bridget navigates pressures from all parts of her social and family life.
