A screenwriting credit for the next Bridget Jones movie might go to Hugh Grant. The 62-year-old actor revealed to Vanity Fair on September 11 that he modified the script for the upcoming film to ensure his character, Daniel Cleaver, was included.
While Grant played Cleaver in the first two films (Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason), his character didn’t fit into the storyline of Bridget’s unexpected pregnancy in the 2016 film Bridget Jones’s Baby. “I really couldn’t fit my character in — he just didn’t belong, so I stepped aside,” Grant explained.
Hugh Grant reveals he rewrote scenes for his character Daniel Cleaver in the next Bridget Jones movie, scheduled for 2025
For the 2025 film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which adapts Helen Fielding’s third Bridget Jones book, Grant managed to integrate his character into the plot. Despite being moved by the script, he found some aspects unsatisfactory and chose to contribute his own scenes for Cleaver.
“It’s absolutely the best Bridget Jones book, and I think it’s very funny and very, very moving,” Grant shared. “I’m not in a lot — I did a week’s work, that’s it. But when you see the film, you’ll be very moved.” The upcoming film will likely center on Bridget as a single mother of two after the death of her husband, Mark Darcy, and explore her thoughts about returning to dating.
Returning alongside Grant will be Renée Zellweger as Bridget and Emma Thompson, who reprised her role as Bridget’s doctor in the third film. New cast members include Chiwetel Ejiofor, Isla Fisher, Josette Simon, Nico Parker, Leila Farzad, and Leo Woodall.
Grant had previously discussed the movie with PEOPLE, noting that it reflects Helen Fielding’s own experiences of raising two children solo after losing her husband. “It’s partly based on Helen Fielding’s experiences of bringing up two children by herself after her husband died,” he said in April. “And so Bridget is bringing up two kids and wondering whether she should ever go back to dating.” He also mentioned that the script balances humor with emotional depth.
