Alert – Bridget Jones fans vow to boycott new film if Colin Firth doesn’t appear amid fears Mark Darcy will be killed off: ‘He’s the only reason I watched!’

Bridget Jones fans have vowed to boycott the upcoming fourth movie if beloved character Mark Darcy isn’t included. 

The noughties romcoms defined a generation, with millions of women identifying with protagonist Bridget, who worried about her weight, her bad habits of smoking and drinking and whether she’d ever find a partner. 

Adapted from Helen Fielding’s novels, the movies saw Bridget – played by Renee Zellwegger – navigate several love triangles, mainly with Mark [Colin Firth] and Daniel Cleaver [Hugh Grant].

In the third film, it appeared Bridget had finally found her happy ending as she settled down with barrister Mark, marrying after welcoming their first child together. 

So with news of a fourth film on the way, fans were excited to see what Bridget and Mark got up to next, only to be left devastated when Colin’s name was absent from the cast list. 

Bridget Jones fans have vowed to boycott the upcoming fourth movie if beloved character Mark Darcy isn’t included (Colin Firth pictured in character as Mark in Bridget Jones’ Baby) 

In the third film, it appeared Bridget – played by Renee Zellwegger – had finally found her happy ending as she married love interest Mark [Firth] after welcoming a baby with him

Adapted from Helen Fielding’s novels, the movies saw Bridget navigate several love triangles, mainly with Mark [Firth] and Daniel Cleaver [Hugh Grant]

Fear has since spread across social media that the fourth film will follow the direction of the third book, which tragically killed off Mark and followed Bridget as she navigated life as a widowed mother-of-two. 

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, fans shared: ‘Bridget Jones 4 without Colin Firth…no thank you. #colinfirth’; 

‘Bridget Jones 4 without Colin Firth, yer no thanks, pointless, he’s the only reason I watched & liked the last 3 films, I like him very much.’;

‘Think me and Mum will swerve The new Bridget Jones film if Colin Firth isn’t in it.’; ‘bring back colin firth too there’s no bridget jones without mark darcy’;

‘I’m sorry but what’s the purpose to make another Bridget Jones’s diary movie? Most of all, without Colin and his Mark Darcy, Bridget’s only love.’;

‘The plot of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is that Bridget is a widow after Mark Darcy dies. So are Colin and Hugh’s characters gonna be ghosts?’;

‘Knowing how the Bridget Jones books go a Bridget Jones film with no Colin Firth is concerning.’; ‘A Bridget Jones movie without Colin Firth is a no for me. That is all.’;

‘The disappointment I feel over Colin Firth not appearing in the next Bridget Jones is….overwhelming. Then to find out it’s bc she’s a widow. I am inconsolable. Please respect my privacy at this trying time.’;

‘bridget jones diary 4 is happening but it looks like theyre following the book and colin firth wont be in it so whats the point’. 

Fear has since spread across social media that the fourth film will follow the direction of the third book, which tragically killed off Mark and followed Bridget living life as a widow 

In the third Bridget Jones novel, Mad About The Boy, which is also the title of the upcoming fourth film, it was revealed that Mark had been killed off five years prior in a landmine accident in Sudan, shortly after welcoming a second child with Bridget. 

Readers were left outraged by the shock twist, with author Helen later revealing she made the decision after the death of her father in a car crash made her realise that life has many ‘twists and turns’.

She said after the book’s release in 2013: ‘It’s like the keys of a piano isn’t it? There are white notes and black notes.

‘And there’s a tragicomic element in my writing; the happy ending is just where you choose to end a book. Life, with all its twists and turns, carries on beyond it.’

In the novel, Bridget is aged 51 and attempting to move past her grief while caring for children Billy and Mabel, aged seven and five. 

She is still searching for her happy ending and embarks on a romance with a younger man while attempting to navigate the modern dating scene. 

While the identity of the young lover has not yet been announced, it’s telling that the cast lineup features Hollywood heartthrob of the moment, Leo Woodall.  

The One Day star, 27, has been confirmed to be starring in the upcoming film in a currently undisclosed part. 

The book’s plot suggests there is every chance Leo could also play the role of her younger lover. 

Fans also predicted that if the film was set in the future, Leo may play Bridget’s son.

The fourth Bridget Jones film was confirmed this week with Renee and Hugh Grant set to reprise their iconic roles as the witty singleton and love rat respectively. 

Emma Thompson – who played Doctor Rawlings in Bridget Jones’s Baby is also back, with Chiwetel Ejiofor also set to star, per THR.

To Leslie director Michael Morris will helm the film, with the film’s script penned by author Helen.

Universal will release the film on Peacock on Valentine’s Day 2025 while internationally it will be released in theatres.

The book’s plot suggests there is every chance Leo Woodall could play the role of Bridget’s younger lover after it was revealed he will star in the fourth film in a yet unnamed role 

Chiwetel Ejiofor has also been confirmed to star in the film which is set for release on Valentine’s Day 2025

The Mail On Sunday confirmed the movie will begin filming in May.

A source said in February: ‘Bridget is back and is about to take over London. Filming is being mapped out already and all of the pre-production is in place.

‘There was some uncertainty about whether it would get off the ground, but the movie is coming.

‘Renee is excited about bringing Bridget back. She adores the character so much. Bridget Jones fever is expected to sweep across London this spring.’ 

The most recent film, released in 2016, saw Bridget shocked when she found out she was pregnant. 

It ended with her marrying Mark, the high-flying lawyer who she’d had on and off feelings for across the three movies. It was also revealed that he was the father to her baby.

Hugh didn’t appear in that movie as Daniel was presumed dead at the beginning. At the end, though, there was a newspaper report that said he had been found alive.

The most recent film, released in 2016, saw Bridget shocked when she found out she was pregnant and ended with her marrying on/off partner Mark

When asked about a fourth movie instalment, Helen previously told Radio Times: ‘Every film that gets made is a miracle. 

‘I think it’s really difficult to make films and to make them happen and to make them good and we want it to be really good. But I really hope so. I’d love to see it on the screen.’

There were rumours last year the movie had been axed due to the US actors’ strikes, but sources said those claims were ‘nonsense’.

The first film, Bridget Jones’s Diary, came out in 2001 and grossed £222 million at the box office – more than ten times what it cost to make. 

Renee’s last film was the 2019 biopic of Judy Garland.