Emma Thompson 'brought on board to rewrite script for nightmare third Bridget Jones movie'

MAIL ON LINE
By SARAH ROBERTSON FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 09:53 EST, 13 October 2014 | UPDATED: 10:30 EST, 13 October 2014

She won an Oscar for her adaptation of Sense And Sensibility, and now Emma Thompson is reportedly set to turn her hand to saving the third Bridget Jones film.

The 55-year-old actress is said to have been recruited to rescue the ailing movie after cast members gave the proposed storyline the thumbs down.

Bosses at Working Title Films have called in the British star to 'rewrite the first draft' of Bridget Jones Baby, which was originally penned by Bridget creator Helen Fielding and One Day author David Nicholls.

As well as no Hugh Grant, it's unclear whether the film's lead actress Reneé Zellweger would reprise her famous role after writer Fielding admitted she had lost touch with her.

The third film is expected to be very different from Fielding's novel Mad About The Boy, which sees a widowed Bridget in her early 50's raising her two young children as a single mother following the death of Darcy.

Bridget Jones’ Diary, the first installment in the franchise, was a box office smash in 2001, taking $281m around the world and breaking UK box office records.



Its sequel The Edge of Reason maintained its predecessor’s blockbuster takings with $262m in 2004 - but was panned by critics.

Instead the new screenplay is said to spare the life of Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy character and look at Bridget’s desire to become a mother in her early forties.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2790845/emma-thompson-brought-board-rewrite-script-nightmare-bridget-jones-movie.html#ixzz3GFALdeoj 
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Hugh Grant pulls out of the third Bridget Jones’s Diary film

The Telegraph
By Tim Walker



Two years after Hugh Grant told Mandrake that filming of the second sequel to Bridget Jones’s Diary was on hold until the writers had made the script more to his liking, I can disclose that the capricious actor has quit the project for good.

“I decided not to do it,” says Grant, who played the love rat Daniel Cleaver in the first two films, in an interview today with Free Radio in the Midlands. “But I think they’re going to go ahead and do it without Daniel. The book’s excellent, by the way, but the script is completely different – well, the script as I last saw it a few years ago.”

It is likely that the 54-year-old actor will be conspicuous by his absence in the long-mooted film which is being written with the active involvement of Helen Fielding – who created the character Bridget – and offers what is described as an alternative version of events to what she tells in her third book in the series, Mad About The Boy.



While Mark Darcy – played by Colin Firth – is killed off in Fielding’s latest book, it is understood that he will be spared in the forthcoming film, which will take up Bridget’s story after she has turned 40 and is yearning for a baby. Renée Zellweger – who played Bridget in the first two films – is believed to be signed up for the project, along with Firth.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.msn.com/en-ie/entertainment/news/hugh-grant-pulls-out-of-the-third-bridget-jones%E2%80%99s-diary-film/ar-BB8v639

Colin Firth: How Helen Fielding Broke the News About Mark Darcy

TIME
By Radhika Jones @radhikajonesOct. 07, 2013

Fans were horrified to learn of Mark’s death in an excerpt in the U.K.’s Sunday Times Magazine on Sept. 29. But it seemed only right that Firth should hear about his demise in advance from its author.

“I did want to tell Colin in person but we were trying to have lunch, and I couldn’t really tell him why I was trying to meet him and he was in a different place,” Fielding says. “So I ended up telling him he died on the phone.” It was, as she recalls it, a very funny conversation. “I had to ask him if he had someone with him and if he was sitting down. It was like someone actually had died. We had to process it. And I was almost saying, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

READ MORE HERE:http://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/07/bridget-jones-exclusive-how-helen-fielding-broke-the-news-about-mark-darcy-to-colin-firth/

Colin Firth: Darcy is dead - Uproar by Bridget Jones fans after delicious Mark is killed off

MIRROR
By James Robertson, Lucy Buckland
September 30, 2013

Twitter exploded with reaction from "Bridge" fans across the world - with some vowing not to buy Fielding's third book

The news that Mark Darcy is dead and Bridget Jones is now a widowed "workless" mother of two has left the nation reeling. Extracts of writer Helen Fielding's third Bridge novel, Mad About The Boy, were published in the Sunday Times Magazine, and grieving fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration over the death of Turkey buffet fan and human rights activist Mark.

 Fifteen years after the last novel in the saga, it turns out unlucky-in-love Bridget married Darcy had two children - Mabel and Billy. Heralding the arrival of "chick lit", Bridget Jones's Diary started life as as a newspaper column in 1995. Two best-selling novels, with their corresponding Hollywood blockbuster film adaptations featuring Renee Zellweger as Bridget and Colin Firth as Darcy, followed.

 Portrayed as a stereotypical 1990s London thirty-something worried about her weight, smoking and alcohol intake, Bridget struck a chord with women of her generation. The original book was eventually voted by readers as one of the 10 novels that defined the 20th century, side by side with Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell or Anne Frank's own diary.

The modern-day heroine's story - loosely based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice - was centred around love interests Darcy and her cad boss Daniel Cleaver. After hearing from her last in 1999 with Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, readers will now find Bridget as a 51-year-old widow obsessed with Twitter, wrinkles and weight.

Fielding, who has always denied that the books are autobiographical, is herself a 55-year-old single mother-of-two who ended her relationship with television executive Kevin Curran in 2009. Bridget's new adventures as a fifty-something cougar sees her meet new 30-year-old toy boy boyfriend, Roxter, on Twitter, five years after Darcy's death. But those who want to know what happened to the love of her life will have to wait until about Mad About The Boy is published on October 10, as his death will appear in a flashback deep into the book and not be revealed in advance.



 Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/darcy-dead-twitter-uproar-after-2322950#ixzz2gNc4Ik93 Follow us: @DailyMirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook

Colin Firth has said "there may be a long wait" for a new Bridget Jones movie but don't fret, the third book is on the way. (RTE)

However, speaking to The Chicago Sun Times, Firth - who plays dashing Mark Darcy in the films - was a bit more positive about a new Bridget movie.

But he admitted it will likely take some time before there is any movement on the project.

"Unfortunately, it might be a bit of a long wait," the Oscar winner said. "I wouldn't say that it's completely dead in the water, but the way it's going you might be seeing Bridget Jones's granddaughter's story being told by the time we get there."

He added: "There is a joy of doing those movies that keeps hope alive. And the story is going in an interesting direction. I just wouldn't say that the movie is imminent.

READ MORE: http://www.rte.ie/ten/2013/0427/bridgetjones.html

COLIN FIRTH REVEALS HE WILL BE IN THIRD BRIDGET JONES FILM (EXPRESS CO.UK) By Lizzie Catt with Lisa Higgins and Jack Teague

The Oscar-winning star of new movie Gambit, says: “Second films are hard but I’m excited about a third because Bridget and Mark will be older. The plot will likely revolve around being married and having kids.”

But will Darcy get his kit off this time? Colin tells Woman magazine: “As an actor, by the time you reach your 40s and you’ve done a few films there’s always sex somewhere.”

READ MORE: http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/358021

New Bridget Jones Novel for 2013! (FEMALE FIRST)

Jonathan Cape has acquired the new Bridget Jones novel by Helen Fielding. The novel explores a different phase in Bridget’s life and will be published in Autumn 2013.  The first two Bridget Jones novels were huge international bestsellers, published in forty countries and selling over 15 million copies worldwide.

Richard Cable, Managing Director of Vintage Publishing (a Random House Group Company), acquired UK and Commonwealth rights on sole submission from Gillon Aitken of Aitken Alexander Associates. Jonathan Cape will publish in Autumn 2013. Vintage will publish the novel in paperback in 2014.

Dan Franklin, Publisher of Jonathan Cape, said: ‘Great comic writers are as rare as hen’s teeth. Helen is one of a very select band who have created a character, Bridget, of whom the very thought makes you smile. Like millions of others I can’t wait to see what’s happened to her.’

READ MORE: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/Helen+Fielding-266033.html

Colin Firth, Hugh Grant: Bridget Jones 3 is taking shape (UKPA) – 4 hours ago

The script for the third Bridget Jones instalment is still being written, its producer has said.

But Tim Bevan, the co-chairman of Working Title Films, said the movie, Bridget Jones's Baby, was beginning to take shape.

"The script is being written. Bridget Jones's Baby is like herding cats, but they're beginning to fall into line," he said, reported Radio 1 Newsbeat online, confirming that the cast had been approached about the third film.

The last Bridget Jones film, The Edge Of Reason, came out in 2004, with Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant reprising their roles.

READ MORE:http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jNzn4dq9cnssCnCX6B7wvmXe1INg?docId=N0282881348133574322A

Colin Firth, Hugh Grant: “Yes, our public demands some more fisticuffs!” Grant exclaimed for next Bridget Jones movie Posted on April 23, 2012 by By: Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz, MTV.com (MOVIE NIGHT)

The last time anyone heard about the third film in the “Bridget Jones” franchise, the script was still being reworked to suit lead actors Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant.

But fans have been getting antsy about the long-rumored sequel, with some wondering if the next chapter in bumbling Bridget’s story will ever be told. When MTV News caught up with Grant in New York City on Friday (April 20), he explained that the British love triangle will return to the big screen … eventually.

However, script problems continue to delay production. “I’ve seen some scripts,” Grant said. “They haven’t quite hit the nail yet, but they will. They’re working on it.”

Since the script is still in the writing stages, now might be the time to request that Bridget’s two leading men, Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy, get into one of their infamous brawls, battling it out for Bridget’s heart. “Yes, our public demands some more fisticuffs!” Grant exclaimed.

READ MORE:  http://movienight.mtv.ca/2012/04/bridget-jones-3-script-in-the-works-hugh-grant-confirms/

Hugh Grant says new Bridget Jones script needs to be polished (PAKISTAN TODAY)

LONDON - Roping in Hugh Grant for the planned second sequel to ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’ appears to have become a challenge for the makers of the movie. Amid rumours that Grant, who plays Mark Darcy, (????????)  had pulled out, Tim Bevan, the producer, admitted in February that filming had been put on hold. Now, the 51-year-old insists that the screenplay needs more work, before he commits himself to the project.

“We’re all up for it, as a cast, and the basic premise is fantastic,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying. “We just need to polish up the scripts,” he said. The actor also revealed his desire of donning the director’s hat. “I don’t really know if I’ll continue doing films, but I should do directing. I just know that I’m much less inclined to do acting jobs nowadays. I never really chose romcoms- they chose me. I have no particular affection for that genre,” he added.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/04/15/news/entertainment/hugh-grant-says-new-bridget-jones-script-needs-to-be-polished/

Hugh Grant wants Bridget Jones 3

Hugh Grant wants Bridget Jones 3 (UKPA) – 2 hours ago

Hugh Grant has revealed that he would gladly reprise his caddish role for Bridget Jones 3. But the 51-year-old actor, who played ladies' man Daniel Cleaver in the previous two films, admitted that it's still a work in progress.

"That film is not really on yet. We are up for it, but they haven't quite cracked the script. But when they do, I'm sure we'll make it," he said. Hugh - who makes his animated debut in upcoming Aardman film The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists - said he enjoyed playing such a cad alongside Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth. "I did like playing Daniel Cleaver in both films, but there is no definite part three," he told Total Film.

"None of the three of us have signed up for it yet. There's been a number of drafts that have had great things in them but haven't quite hit the bullseye. It's just that it does have to be significantly reinvented. "I don't think that you could pretend that it's a year after the end of the last one because we look f*****g ancient now, all three of us," he added.

Hugh teased that Daniel won't be a reformed man, saying: "He won't be, no."

The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists, which also stars David Tennant and Martin Freeman, opens in cinemas on March 28.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iW337FdjkkWBiYh2cjIyo9EtmPJg?docId=N0063181332505875495A

Waiting for the third Bridget Jones movie? Keep waiting. (Montreal Gazette)

BY DOUG CAMILLI, SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE

Hugh Grant, who starred in the first two flicks along with Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth, now says none of the three has signed a Jones III contract, because the script still isn’t good enough.

 “There have been a number of drafts that have had great things in them but haven’t quite hit the bull’s-eye,” Grant told Total Film mag. “They’re working on it again now with yet another writer, as soon as they get to a good point we will do it, I’m sure.”

 The Writers Guild people were all too hungover to comment.


Read the rest:  http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Gossip+Zooey+Deschanel+shows+nerdy+side+awards+show/6180787/story.html

Hugh Grant wants Bridget Jones to be "significantly reinvented" before he signs up for 3 (iafrica)

Hugh Grant says that the Bridget Jones' Diary franchise needs to be "significantly reinvented" before he signs on for a third movie.

 Plans are underway for the next film in the popular series, but the star – who played Daniel Cleaver in the first two films – says he and co-stars Colin Firth and Renee Zellweger are yet to sign on for the new one. He said: "I did like playing Daniel Cleaver, but there is no definite part three. None of the three of us have signed up yet.

"There's been a number of drafts that have had great things in them but haven't quite hit the bulls-eye. "But they're working on it again now with yet another writer, as soon as they get to a good point we will do it, I'm sure. It's just that it does have to be significantly reinvented."

 He also revealed that the third movie will have to be set some years after 2004's Bridget Jones' Diary: The Edge of Reason, because he and his co-stars have aged so much since. He told Total Film: "I don't think you could pretend that it's a year after the end of the last one because we look f***ing ancient now, all three of us."


http://entertainment.iafrica.com/movies/movienews/779214.html

Hugh Grant “still onboard” for Bridget Jones (Inside Ireland)

February 3, 2012

 

By Olivia Kerr

 

 

British actor Hugh Grant will return to star in the third “Bridget Jones” film, despite recent rumours that he had dropped out of the cast.

Tim Bevan, Working Title chairman said: “Reports that Hugh Grant has exited Bridget Jones’s Baby are untrue.



“We are still working on the script, hence the delay to the start of production, but the film is going ahead as planned.”

This comes following Grant’s comments on “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason”. In 2009, Grant said: “”I think Bridget Jones two was a mistake, to be honest with you.

“It wasn’t a very good script and I resisted it for a long time, so did Colin and so did Renee. And we got kind of conned into making it.”


Read more:  http://insideireland.ie/2012/02/03/grant-still-onboard-for-bridget-jones-53772/

Colin Firth, Hugh Grant: Now they're saying Hugh Grant still wants Bridget Jones Baby (Hollywod Reporter)

British label co-chairman Tim Bevan says third outing for character still on track to shoot this year with Grant, Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth.

LONDON – Working Title Films issued a statement Friday playing down the media storm swirling around problems with the Hugh Grant starrer Bridget Jones’s Baby.

 

Amid press and media reports that the production is facing delays and speculation putting Grant’s involvement at the center of problems, Working Title co-chairman Tim Bevan took the unprecedented step to quell the stories publicly.

“Reports that Hugh Grant has exited Bridget Jones’s Baby are untrue,” said Bevan. “We are still working on the script hence the delay to the start of production, but the film is going ahead as planned."



STORY: 'Bridget Jones 3' In Trouble As Script Issues Prompt Delay


Read more:  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bridget-jones-hugh-grant-working-title-286909

Colin Firth: Hugh Grant refuses to do Bridget Jones 3 until the script’s on par with Did You Hear About the Morgans? (MH)

Author : "Caffeinated" Clint (Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 3:37 am)

Tags: Bridget Jones's Baby, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Renee Zellweger

Quite frankly, I don’t know why Colin Firth or, to a lesser extent, Hugh Grant would even want to do another “Bridget Jones” movie. Both are doing quite Okay without having to whip the ol’ sequel pony again – particularly Firth, who has been hotter than heck since winning that Oscar for “Kings Speech”. One can only assume, especially with these rumours of script issues, that money has talked or Renee Zellweger gives good back-rubs.

Whatever the case, Firth, Grant and Zellwacky are doing the third, “Bridget Jones’s Baby”. Or they will be, once production resumes.

THR’s suggesting that Hugh Grant – a man who was this close to signing on to replace Charlie Sheen on “Two and-a-Half Men” – has walked from the project because of script issues. Having been involved in such wordsmithy wonders as “American Dreamz”, “Music & Lyrics” and “Two Weeks Notice”, it’s already clear Grant demands the best from his scripts, right? Heh.


Read more:  http://www.moviehole.net/201252386-hugh-grant-refuses-to-do-bridget-jones-3-until-the-scripts-on-par-with-did-you-hear-about-the-morgans

Colin Firth: Bridget Jones 3 hits a snag (The Hollywood Reporter)

'Bridget Jones 3' In Trouble As Script Issues Prompt Delay (Exclusive)

5:39 PM PST 2/2/2012 by Borys Kit, Matthew Belloni

Universal Pictures

The Working Title movie, starring Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, was scheduled to begin shooting in the next few weeks under the direction of Peter Cattaneo.

Bridget Jones’ Baby, the third installment of the Bridget Jones romantic comedy series, has run into script problems and is being delayed.

The Working Title movie, starring Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, was scheduled to begin shooting in the next few weeks under the direction of Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty). But multiple sources close to the production tell The Hollywood Reporter that script issues have caused the creative team—especially Grant—to ask that the movie be delayed. Any stoppage, however, could lead an indefinite, if not permanent, shutdown.

“It’s basically dead,” says one insider. Another source, however, says the script problems will be worked out and "the movie will definitely shoot sometime this year."

According to several insiders, Grant has been especially vocal in his displeasure with the script, credited to David Nicholls and author Helen Fielding. It's unclear whether he refused to shoot the film (his deal is signed, says a source) or whether he simply expressed his dissatisfaction. Regardless, producers have decided not to proceed until the issues can be resolved. A Working Title rep declined to comment. A Grant rep did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This isn’t the first roadblock the production has hit. Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) was attached to direct the project last year and even worked on the script. But Feig left the movie in the fall amid creative differences with Working Title. That led to Cattaneo’s hiring.


Read more:  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bridget-jones-3-trouble-as-286806

Colin Firth loves new smaller role, chats about ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ (Chicago Sun Times)

Colin Firth stars in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”

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Colin Firth insists that size doesn’t matter. He won the coveted Best Actor Oscar last year for “The King’s Speech” but is perfectly happy to do a supporting role opposite Gary Oldman in the critically acclaimed “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” based on the book by novelist John Le Carre.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Firth says. “I spent a lot of years working up to playing leads, but I still can’t resist a really meaty role. If I can really sink my teeth in then it could be the guy with all the lines or the one you remember from those 10 minutes on screen.”

Audiences are wondering about his upcoming role in the third “Bridget Jones” film. In “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” the former singleton is struggling with turning 40. She and husband Mark Darcy (Firth) are trying to get pregnant, and her annoying former boss Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) is still lurking around, too.

“I love the characters that Renee, Hugh and I play in those movies,” he says. “I’m always interested to see where the writers will take us.”

Cindy Pearlman

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/9607841-421/colin-firth-loves-new-smaller-role-chats-about-bridget-joness-baby.html

Colin Firth excited for Bridget Jones 3: MARIE CLAIRE

MARIE CLAIRE

By Eleanor Young on Monday 12 December 2011

 

Rex Features

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We were beside ourselves with excitement when film bosses confirmed everyone’s favourite singleton Bridget Jones was set to return to screens. And it seems we weren’t the only ones.
Colin Firth has spoken of his excitement at reprising his famous role as Mark Darcy, revealing he can’t wait to be reunited with the rest of the cast.

COLIN FIRTH: CAREER IN PICTURES

‘It'll be nice [to be reunited],’ the actor told news channel CNN.
‘It would be like one of those rather tempestuous '70s pop bands trying to get together in a way,’ he joked. ‘We always had a good time.’

Earlier this month it was revealed film bosses are in talks to hire Full Monty director Peter Cattaneo for the movie - reportedly to be named Bridget Jones's Baby - and are planning to start work on filming as early as the beginning of next year.

It's thought Bridesmaids director Paul Feig had originally been signed up for the role.

But after several drafts of the initial script, it seems film bosses decided a British director would be better suited to the job, and tracked down director of The Full Monty, Peter Cattaneo.

Now it's reportedly full steam ahead for the movie, with filming set to start in January 2012.

What do you think we can expect from Bridget Jones 3? Let us know in the comments box below…

COLIN FIRTH: CAREER IN PICTURES
DRAMATIC MOVIE MAKEOVERS

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/celebrity/533325/colin-firth-excited-for-bridget-jones-3.html

Colin Firth, Hugh Grant: Bridget Jones 3 gets Full Monty director Peter Cattaneo on board

Bridget Jones 3 has got the go-ahead as The Full Monty's Peter Cattaneo has been signed up to direct.

 

The third instalment of the franchise, entitled Bridget Jones' Baby, will see Renee Zellweger reprise her role as the awkward singleton.

Bridget Jones will return for a third film directed by Peter Cattaneo.

Colin Firth will return as Mark Darcy, while Hugh Grant will play Daniel Cleaver once again, bringing the love triangle back together.

English writer Helen Fielding started the Bridget Jones's Diary column in The Independent in 1995, before it was adapted into a novel. A follow-up, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, was published in 1998.

Both books were turned into hugely successful films, earning Zellweger an Oscar nomination.

The title of the third film would suggest that Bridget has a child, although there is no information about which of her two suitors is the father.

In Fielding's last column entries back in 2006, the father was revealed as Daniel Clever, but the film may choose to take a different path.

Bridesmaids director Paul Feig was originally slated to direct the latest flick, but it was decided that a British director would be better suited to the task.

Filming is now set to begin in January, with the finished article hopefully hitting cinema screens a year later.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/film/883682-bridget-jones-3-gets-full-monty-director-peter-cattaneo-on-board#ixzz1fOXv0R3z