The first Bridget Jones film, Bridget Jones’s Diary, is so good. It’s everything you want from a romantic comedy – it’s genuinely funny, it’s comforting, it’s delightfully weird in some places, and it has an extremely likable heroine and a very good Mr. Darcy. The second film – Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason – was not particularly good but still somewhat enjoyable, and they mostly kept to the source material (Helen Fielding’s second book). The wheels well and truly came off for the third film, Bridget Jones’s Baby, in which Bridget tried to choose between Patrick Dempsey and Colin Firth… all while she was close to 50 years old and pregnant. It was a complete mess and it should have killed the franchise. I thought it did! And then we started hearing rumors about a fourth Bridget Jones movie in the works. Well, it turns out that Renee Zellweger is still interested in milking this dead-and-buried franchise, because she’s officially signed on. It will be an adaptation of Fielding’s Mad About the Boy.

Renée Zellweger (Judy) has closed a deal to reprise the role that brought her her first Oscar nomination in Universal Pictures and Working Title’s Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Deadline has learned.

Others set to return in the film, from director Michael Morris (To Leslie), include Hugh Grant (Wonka) and Emma Thompson (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande). Newcomers to the cast will include Chiwetel Ejiofor (Rob Peace) and Leo Woodall (The White Lotus).

Based on the third book in Fielding’s series, Mad About the Boy picks up with Bridget in her early fifties, as she navigates the challenges of modern life while juggling the responsibilities of motherhood. No word yet as to who Ejiofor and Woodall will be playing.

[From Deadline]

I’m sad to report that I have read Mad About the Boy and I think I know which characters Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor are playing. While it will be cute to see Chiwetel as a traditional romantic lead, I wish it was not in a Bridget Jones movie! My God. Leo is definitely being cast as the much-younger man she dates for a few months, right?

Major Spoilers: if we’re going with the Bridget Jones Cinematic Universe, I would assume that Mark Darcy and Bridget get married after she gives birth to their son (at the end of Bridget Jones’s Baby) and then the fourth film will pick up using Mad About the Boy as the source material – the book picks up about a year or two after Mark Darcy’s death. That’s why Colin Firth isn’t “returning” to the franchise – because Helen Fielding killed him off in the book, which is all about Bridget getting back into the dating scene (and as always, losing weight) as a widowed single mother.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

HUGH GRANT, RENEE ZELLWEGER, COLIN FIRTH and wife at the premiere of 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' Amsterdam, Holland – 08.11.04,Image: 355990239, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Not available for publication in Holland, Model Release: no, Credit line: MMP / Wenn / Avalon

RENEE ZELLWEGER and HUGH GRANT arriving for the UK premiere of the Film ‘Bridget Jones – The Edge of Reason’ at the Odeon Leicester Square, London. Date: 09.11.2004,Image: 506981425, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: World Rights – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries call Photoshot Global HQ – London + 44 (0)20 7421 6000 , also New York Office Tel : + 1 646-429-8731 and Hamburg Office Tel +49 (0)40 530 240 5959, Model Release: no, Credit line: Photoshot / Avalon

156889, Renee Zellweger at Bridget Jones’ Baby premiere at Kinepolis theater. Madrid, Spain – Friday September 9, 2016. SPAIN OUT Photograph: © C. Kasady, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Photoshot): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000,Image: 533622757, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: C. Kasady, PacificCoastNews / Avalon

156859, Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey attend Bridget Jones Baby photocall at Villamagna Hotel in Madrid, Spain. Madrid, Spain – Friday September 9, 2016. SPAIN OUT Photograph: © C. Kasady, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Photoshot): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000,Image: 533622875, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: C. Kasady, PacificCoastNews / Avalon

©ÊDENNIS VAN TINE HUGH GRANT & RENEE ZELLWEGER ATTENDING THE NY PREMIERE OF THE MOVIE “BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY”. ZIEGFELD THEATRE NYC APRIL 2,2001,Image: 549016687, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Florida: +1 239 689 1883 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Dennis Van Tine / Avalon

USA Rights Only, London, England -10/8/15-Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth Filming Bridget Jones’s Baby, the third installment of the Bridget Jones franchise in London -PICTURED: Renee Zellweger -PHOTO by: Anthony Devlin/PA Images/Startraksphoto.com -Startraks_PAI_24374610 Editorial – Rights Managed Image – Please contact for licensing fee Startraks Photo New York, NY For licensing please call 212-414-9464 or email Image may not be published in any way that is or might be deemed defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification or question you may have. Startraks Photo reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this image. If you violate our intellectual property you may be liable for actual damages, loss of income, and profits you derive from the use of this image, and where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or statutory damages. Featuring: Renee Zellweger Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 08 Oct 2015 Credit: Anthony Devlin/PA Images/Startraksphoto.com **USA Rights Only**

USA Rights Only-Berlin, Germany – 9/7/2016 – Berlin Premiere of Bridget Jones’s Baby -PICTURED: Patrick Dempsey, Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth -PHOTO by: James Coldrey/Action Press/startraksphoto.com -Startraks_APGv_action_23007146 Editorial – Rights Managed Image – Please contact for licensing fee Startraks Photo New York, NY For licensing please call 212-414-9464 or email Startraks Photo reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this image. If you violate our intellectual property you may be liable for actual damages, loss of income, and profits you derive from the use of this image, and where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or statutory damages. Featuring: Patrick Dempsey, Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth Where: Berlin, Germany, Germany When: 07 Sep 2016 Credit: James Coldrey/Action Press/startraksphoto.com **USA Rights Only**

New York, NY – 09/12/2016 – Actors Renée Zellweger and Patrick Dempsey discuss the next chapter of the world’s favorite singleton in “Bridget Jones’s Baby” -PICTURED: Renee Zellweger -PHOTO by: Fernando Lucena/startraksphoto.com -LUC_152315.JPG Startraks Photo New York, NY For licensing please call 212-414-9464 or email Startraks Photo reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this image. If you violate our intellectual property you may be liable for actual damages, loss of income, and profits you derive from the use of this image, and where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or statutory damages. Featuring: Renee Zellweger Where: New York, New York, United States When: 12 Sep 2016 Credit: FERNANDO LUCENA/startraksphoto.com

September 06, 2016: Patrick Dempsey, Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth arriving at the ‘Bridget Jones Baby’ Paris Premiere at Le Grand Rex in Paris, France. Mandatory Credit: INFphoto.com Ref: inffr-01/211075 Featuring: Patrick Dempsey, Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth Where: Paris, France When: 06 Sep 2016 Credit: INFphoto.com **U.S., U.K., AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND RIGHTS ONLY**