On-screen lovers Daniel Cleaver and Bridget Jones have reunited on set, with Hugh Grant’s character returning, despite his funeral being a key scene in the last film
Renee Zellweger has been spotted cosying up to Hugh Grant, as his Bridget Jones character Daniel Cleaver has finally made a return to the beloved rom-com franchise.
Renee Zellweger, 55, will of course play the titular character once again, while 63-year-old Hugh Grant will return to the franchise as charming Lothario Daniel. Fans will know the pair have had an on-off relationship over the years, and photos taken on set suggest things could be back on with Daniel and hapless Bridget.
Mad About The Boy will mark the fourth film in the series and is set for release on Valentine’s Day next year.
The three previous instalments – Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), and Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016) – have all followed Bridget’s tumultuous love life. The first two films saw Bridget and Daniel in various predicaments, including an explosive trip to Thailand which resulted in Bridget dumping him for good. Daniel then returns to London without her, leaving her in the airport alone. Hugh Grant declined to appear in the third film – Bridget Jones’s Baby – because he reportedly didn’t think much of the script.
And now, in photos obtained by Metro, the pair have been spotted filming in Hampstead, getting up close and personal on set. In one photo, Hugh’s Daniel could be seen with a hand round the back of Bridget’s neck, pulling her in for a kiss. The pair can also be seen hugging – a real throwback for fans. But, as is the way with the turbulent couple, the good times don’t seem to last, with a seemingly heated row kicking off between them. Daniel is then seen sauntering off to a signature sports car, while Bridget looks on longingly.
Bridget’s main love interest, baby daddy Mark, played by Colin Firth, will sadly not appear in the upcoming film, after the human rights lawyer was killed in a tragic landmine accident. She will have a new love interest though, played by newcomer Leo Woodall, 27, who has previously had roles in HBO’s The White Lotus and Netflix series One Day.
According to The Sun, a source previously revealed: “Bridget is going to be a real cougar in the new film and she’ll be seen starting a relationship with a much younger character played by Leo. He was thrilled about landing the part and will have a major role as her love interest in Mad About The Boy.”
Meanwhile, Hugh Grant was initially concerned about an American actress playing Helen Fielding’s British character. In a documentary aired in 2023, he confessed: “There was a whole scandal about why isn’t this a British actress? I didn’t know Renee Zellweger, and a Texan playing a British character, it did seem like a stretch.”
Joking about his on-screen lover’s British accent, he added: “She was told to kind of, well she thought she better loosen it up a bit. Then she came in and it was Princess Margaret having had a stroke. But a week later it was bang on.”
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