Known for her large knickers, slap-stick humour and dramatic relationships, Bridget Jones is back. Based on Helen Fielding's third book, which came out in 2013, this fourth film instalment sees the eponymous hero back at her old antics at 51. Twenty four years after the release of Bridget Jones's Diary, Renée Zellweger has reprised the role for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy which is set for release on Valentine's Day 2025. We last met Bridget in 2016 in the third film in the series, Bridget Jones's Baby, as she grappled with new love (a hunky dating expert played by Patrick Dempsey), old love (the return of the legendary Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth), a thriving career in live TV and - as the title implies - a new baby. But what does the fourth instalment of the beloved British romcom hold?
When and how will Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy be released?
Universal Pictures and Working Title have announced that Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy will be released in cinemas on Valentine's Day (February 14th) 2025. Ahead of the release, Netflix has put Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) and Bridget Jones's Baby back on their streaming platform, so you can catch up on the old classics before the new release.
Is there a trailer for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy?
What is the plot?
“As well as being funny, it's very, very sad,” commented Hugh Grant, who plays the lethal lothario Daniel Cleaver in the franchise. Although Bridget went to Daniel's funeral in the third film, it was revealed at the end of the movie that he was, in fact, alive and will be making a return in Mad About the Boy. He told journalists that the makers “crammed” him in to the film, despite there being “no obvious role” for him.
Spoiler alert! The Mad About the Boy book begins four years after Mark Darcy's death, just as Bridget is starting to emerge back into the dating world with two young children. Lots of the comedy comes from Bridget's navigation of the relationship world when she's been out of the scene for a while, from dating apps and new diets, to social media and Botox.
Who will star in the film?
As well as Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson will return as Doctor Rawlings (the witty and dry doctor who delivered her baby in the last film). It's unclear whether Colin Firth will make an appearance in any way, but notably, lots of the book is comprised of flashbacks from Bridget's early diaries, so it's a possibility! Joining the existing cast is a roster of new, exciting actors, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, Isla Fisher, Josette Simon, Nico Parker and Leila Farzad.
