It’s been nine years since we last caught up with the lovely Bridget Jones, and surprisingly, that’s not even the longest gap between films in the series. But, according to franchise star Renée Zellweger, those extended gaps are key to the story.
Hitting Peacock on Friday, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” marks the fourth installment in the beloved franchise, and catches up with Bridget Jones as she navigates life now as a widow and mother of two. Yes, sadly, Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy is dead in this film (but don’t worry, he still shows up, in a way).
Clearly, a lot has happened since we’ve last seen her, and for Zellweger, having that much life transpire between films is “essential.”
“I love it. I love the time in between,” she told TheWrap. “Because, well, like all of us, we change, and every reconnection with her in the different chapters of her life is a rediscovery, because we’re never the same from one moment in our lives to the next.”
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Indeed, “Bridget Jones’s Diary” first premiered in 2001, and was followed shortly after by a sequel in 2004, but in-universe, not much time had passed. “Bridget Jones’s Baby” then followed over a decade later in 2016, and the threequel was far more separated from its predecessor.
“And it’s so interesting to sort of explore how what’s happened in the interim to this character might change her perspective, her values, how she carries herself, how she communicates,” she continued. “And the same is true from my own experiences, like, what’s in there to draw from this time and what’s relatable this time?”
So, should we be expecting a fifth “Bridget Jones” film in another decade or two? Sadly, it seems unlikely.
“Well, Helen [Fielding, creator of Bridget Jones] has said that she’s finished,” Zellweger said. “She said this is the last, so we’ll see.”
“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” hits Peacock on Friday.
