Grant starred in Bridget Jones' Diary in 2001 and the 2004 sequel, The Edge of Reason, as Daniel Cleaver, Jones' former boss and later ex. However, the 63-year-old actor opted not to appear in the third film, Bridget Jones' Baby. As such, it was insinuated that Cleaver had died in a plane crash in Bridget Jones's Baby.
Did Hugh Grant not want to be in Bridget Jones' baby?
Hugh decided not to return for the 2016′s Bridget Jones's Baby causing his character to be written out by being killed off in a plane crash, however a newspaper headline teased at the end that he was actually found alive.
His character was Bridget's on-off love interest in the first two films. However, Grant opted out of the third, 2016's Bridget Jones's Baby, and Daniel was seemingly killed off, but a teaser at the end revealed he had survived a plane crash, allowing him to return.
The fourth instalment in the franchise, titled Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, will see Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant reprise their roles as Bridget and Daniel Cleaver. It will also star Leo Woodall (One Day, The White Lotus) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Doctor Strange).
But while she was a strong option, it was felt that at 25, she was too young to take on the role. It didn't affect her – and Winslet is now one of the most famous actresses in the world.
Hugh Grant reveals why he dropped out of 'Bridget Jones's Baby'
Who turned down the role of Bridget Jones?
But Bridget Jones could have been played by none other than Toni Colette - but she turned it down. The Australian actress, 51, was offered the role of the British heroine in Bridget Jones' Diary but decided it wasn't for her.
What actresses auditioned for the role of Bridget Jones?
Actresses who were considered for the role of Bridget Jones were Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, Emily Watson, Rachel Weisz (who was considered too beautiful for the role), and Cameron Diaz. Toni Collette declined the role because she was on Broadway starring in The Wild Party at the time.
A year later, Bridget marries Mark, baby William's father. Jack is a guest, showing no sign of resentment or jealousy, happily playing with William. Bridget expresses her contentment that everything worked out.
The latest instalment is based on the book Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which follows the titular character as a single mother of two as she begins to navigate dating in a new era. In the book, it is revealed that Darcy died in a tragic accident.
The plot of the first novel is loosely based on Pride and Prejudice. Bridget Jones is a Bangor University graduate. She is a 34-year-old (32 in the first film adaptation) single woman whose life is a satirized version of the stereotypical single London 30-something in the 1990s and very unlucky in love.
We see, in flashback, a brief anatomy of their failed relationship: Mark was always working. He couldn't commit. He was never there. He couldn't make her happy, as much as he may have wanted to.
During his appearance in the beginning of the film, Daniel is warned by Bridget not to be involved with her ever again. However, Bridget must do her assignment in Thailand with him. Unfortunately, when a sexy Thai woman reveals her lingerie in front of them, Bridget dumps him for good.
She falls in love with him, but later, he admits that he may have been responsible for Mark leaving when he suggested that the baby could be his, which upsets Bridget. She dumps him and finds Mark. However, one year later, he eventually becomes one of her good friends as she has been married to Mark during her wedding.
Over the span of eight years, the Notting Hill actor welcomed five children with actress Tinglan Hong and his now-wife Anna Eberstein. Though Grant has kept his kids out of the public eye, he has occasionally discussed his family life. In 2018, the father of five shared that he loved making his kids laugh.
' There's a lot to unpack here. First of all, the actor seems to feel a keen ownership of the role and a stake in Daniel's continued development. He claims he could've been in the new film, but he turned the opportunity down because he didn't think the part was up to snuff.
During their on-location shoot at Hampstead Heath in North London, Zellweger's iconic character found herself in a sticky situation as she apparently scaled a tree, while Woodall's character — decked out in Hampstead Heath gear — offered her a helping hand, per The Daily Mail.
(at around 1h 16 mins) In Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), we learn that Mark is four years older than she is. When Mark is checking their compatibility on Qwantify, it says that he is 50 years old and Bridget 43. He should be 47.
Why isn't Colin Firth in the new Bridget Jones movie?
The movie, full title Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, will be based on the 2013 novel of the same name, and it's unknown if Colin will return at all for the film, because his character, Mark Darcy, is killed off in the book, which follows Bridget as a single mum-of-two navigating dating, dating apps and an age-gap ...
Mark and Bridget initially break up because Daniel tried to take advantage of a drunk Bridget during their engagement party. This event causes Mark to break off the engagement weeks later and leads to him marrying Natasha(book)/Camilla(movie).
Although Mark Darcy does turn out to be the father of Bridget's child, the other possibility, Dempsey's Jack Qwant, is shown at the movie's end to still be a major figure in Bridget and the baby's lives, which makes sense considering how involved he was during her pregnancy and how much he's seen to care for Bridget.
(Mild spoiler alert) One way the book is different to the film is that Daniel Cleaver (droll rotter and love-interest antidote to pompous, Christmas jumper-sporting suitor Mark Darcy) is still around and one of the potential fathers of Bridget's baby.
So wonderful, in fact, that a fourth is about to begin production. Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson are set to reprise their roles in the new film Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. It is set for US release on Valentine's Day 2025, but no date has been announced for the UK.
Did Renée Zellweger gain weight to play Bridget Jones?
Zellweger previously shared that she gained 30 pounds for her role in 2001's Bridget Jones Diary, in which her character is concerned about her weight. Although she went on to lose the weight, she later regained it for the film's 2004 sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
Why wasn t Hugh Grant in the last Bridget Jones movie?
Hugh Grant was initially set to rejoin the cast for this movie as Daniel Cleaver, but eventually he declined, due to not liking the script and not seeing how the character could fill into the story without changing him dramatically, something he didn't want.
'And I didn't know Renee Zellweger, and a Texan playing a British character, it did seem like a stretch. 'She came in, doing quite a good British accent, but it was Princess Margaret.
