Ten Interesting Facts about Bridget Jones’s Diary You Might Not Know (Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Pride and Prejudice)

ANGLOTOPIA
April 27, 2016
By John Rabon

Helen Fielding exposed the world to her thirty-something protagonist in the 1996 novel Bridget Jones’s Diary.  The popularity of the book across the population would lead to 1999’s sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, two films in 2001 and 2004 based on these works, another novel, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy in 2013, and a third film not based on that novel, Bridget Jones’s Baby in 2016.  With the film adaptations, actress Renee Zellweger has become as synonymous with the character as Bridget’s creator has.  If you want to know more about the books and films, read on.



Getting into Character

Before filming started, Renee Zellweger gained twenty-five pounds, put on a posh English accent, and started working in a real British publishing company.  Surprisingly enough, very few of her new coworkers actually recognised her.  Zellweger even kept a picture of then-boyfriend Jim Carrey on her desk, which employees who didn’t know her thought strange, but were too polite to say anything about it.

Friends in High Places

Salman Rushdie’s cameo in the first film was done as a favor to Helen Fielding.  The two have been long-time friends and she called Rushdie to ask him if he’d be willing to embarrass himself on camera. He recently jokingly tweeted that he considers it his finest work.



Actor Paradox

As the first two books were written well before the films came out, both of them actually make references to Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.  Of course, when they were cast in 2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary, no reference to them is made in the film.  In the books, Bridget is actually a huge fan of the 1995 Pride and Prejudice mini-series and gets to interview Firth for her television job.


READ MORE HERE:http://www.anglotopia.net/british-entertainment/british-movies/ten-interesting-facts-bridget-joness-diary-might-not-know/

Renee Zellweger chopped from Bridget Jones? (No Bridget Jones...in Bridget Jones?)

XPOSE
October  31, 2013



Author Helen Fielding is thought to not be on good terms with Renee. The actress may subsequently be dropped from the Mad About The Boy film, which could have two different scripts.

"They didn't really stay in touch after the last film, though Hugh, Colin and Helen all did and have a great working relationship," a source told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper. "Everyone expected Helen to thank Renee but it wouldn't have been sincere because they aren't good friends.

"The main problem was that Helen, understandably, was very protective over the screenplay and how she saw the role of Bridget being played. But Renee had her own very definite views. There was simply a clash of working personalities."

In the latest book Bridget is a 51-year-old widow with two young kids who dates a toy boy before finding love with a teacher at her son's school.

The newest Bridget Jones installment sees key character Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth in the films, killed off. The possibility of a third flick is in doubt as producers have yet to claim rights to the book.

However they have been working on an independent script called Bridget Jones' Baby. Although it was written by Helen, it allegedly has little connection to the third novel.

Now it's being suggested an actress other than Renee could play the famous character.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.tv3.ie/entertainment_article.php?locID=1.803.874&article=117453

Colin Firth: Bridget Jones film is in the works w/Colin Firth - it's just not the third Bridget Jones book???

"Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy looks unlikely to get film" however...

THE INDEPENDENT

DAISY WYATT  Author Biography   

THURSDAY 17 OCTOBER 2013

Would a Bridget Jones film be the same without Colin Firth? Movie producers seem to think not.

Film rights to Helen Fielding’s latest novel Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy are yet to be snapped up despite strong book sales, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The new book sees Bridget Jones widowed at the age of 51, following the death of her former love Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth in the film franchise.

The production companies are instead working on Bridget Jones’s Baby, a film based on an original screenplay by Fielding, which will include Colin Firth.

The film, which will star Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant alongside Firth, was due to start filming in 2012 but has been delayed.

Tim Bevan of Working Title told The Hollywood Reporter: “We are still working on the script, hence the delay to the start of production, but the film is going ahead as planned.”

READ MORE HERE: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-looks-unlikely-to-get-film-8886645.html

Colin Firth stunned by Mark Darcy's death in Bridget Jones

BLOCKBUSTER
October 9, 2013

Colin Firth was stunned when he was told Mark Darcy was being killed off in 'Bridget Jones 3'.

The Oscar-winning actor played the gentlemanly love interest of bumbling heroine Bridget (Renee Zellweger) in the first two film adaptations of Helen Fielding's bestselling novels and was fully expecting to reprise the popular role in the next film.

However, Fielding was forced to break the news to Firth over the phone that his alter-ego doesn't feature in her long-awaited third book, 'Mad About The Boy', and instead leaves Bridget a widower.

She told TIME magazine: ''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. So I ended up telling him he died on the phone.

''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'.''

The next romantic comedy will see Bridget, now 51, struggling to raises their children Mabel and Billy alone, but Fielding appeared to hint at the possibility of a cameo role for Firth in the form of a ghost.

The author added: ''His presence is very much there in the book and in the child. As I told him, his memory will live on and he will rise from the dead rather like Jesus.''

READ MORE HERE:  http://www.blockbuster.co.uk/article/674407/colin-firth-stunned-by-mark-darcys-death-in.htm

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: Mark Darcy is dead: Helen Fielding kills off heartthrob in latest Bridget Jones book (THE MIRROR)

Mark Darcy, the dashing hero who famously rescued Bridget Jones from the lonely life of a singleton, is dead.

The tragic news, which will shock his worldwide legion of fans, was revealed last night by Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding.

In the last volume of Bridget’s diaries, published more than ten years ago, Darcy - played by Colin Firth in the movie - had just proposed to Bridget.

In the latest set of Bridget’s diaries, called Mad About the Boy, it emerges that the pair were set for a lifetime of wedded bliss after getting married and having two children.

But their happiness was not to last and the new book opens five years after Darcy’s death.

Bridget has become a 51-year-old single mum whose days are filled with the school run and dealing with outbreaks of nits.



Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/mark-darcy-dead-helen-fielding-2319180#ixzz2gIxaYFrR
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'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' cover revealed

Published Wednesday, Jul 24 2013, 10:14am EDT

By Mayer Nissim

DIGITAL SPY 

The cover for Helen Fielding's upcoming Bridget Jones novel has been unveiled.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is published in hardback by Jonathan Cape on October 10 and is priced at £18.99. It is available to pre-order now.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy finds the title character in today's London attempting to juggle "drunken texting, the skinny jean, the disastrous email cc, total lack of Twitter followers, and TVs that need 90 buttons and three remotes to simply turn on".

Asked about the prospect of a third movie in the series, Firth said in April: "Unfortunately, it might be a bit of a long wait.

"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."

nancy marsella youtube

Read more: http://www.digitalspy.com/celebrity/news/a500932/bridget-jones-mad-about-the-boy-cover-revealed.html#ixzz2a1T2X7Ik 
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Renée Zellweger to put on 30lbs to play Bridget Jones for the third instalment of the chick flick (DAILY RECORD)

IT’S time for Renée Zellweger to stock up on doughnuts and cheese pizzas again: Bridget Jones is back.

Just a day after Helen Fielding confirmed the title of the third installment of her book series, Mad About the Boy, I can reveal that British production company Working Title have acquired the rights to the film for £3million.

  (NANCY MARSELLA YOUTUBE)

Which means Renée, 44, is going to have to put on another 30 lbs if she wants to accurately portray porky Bridget again.

The actress famously gorged on her favourite fatty foods for the first film in 2001, which she received an Oscar nomination for, but hired a nutritionist to help her gain the weight more stably for the sequel in 2004.

Rumours suggest that she and her main co-stars Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are all signed up to take part in Mad About the Boy.

In the new book, Bridget will be “immersed in texting and experimenting with social media”. And basically learning that it is never OK to text while drunk.

READ MORE: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/movies/movie-news/rene-zellweger-put-30lbs-ply-1920583

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

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 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

'Bridesmaids' director drops out of helming 'Bridget Jones 3'

 

Studio still eyeing January start for the film

By HitFix Staff Tuesday, Oct 4, 2011 8:31 PM

Bridget has been depressed and bed-ridden since Paul's departure

Credit: Universal Pictures

"Bridesmaids" helmer Paul Feig has decided against directing "Bridget Jones 3", following a period in which he developed the most recent script alongside Universal and Working Title with an eye toward getting behind the camera. Nevertheless, the studio is still looking to go into production on the film in January with Renee Zellwegger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant reprising their roles from the first two movies.

According to Deadline, which broke the news, Universal is now on the lookout for a British director to take the reins, an angle which apparently factored into their and Feig's mutual decision not to collaborate on the project.

Any ideas from readers on Brit filmmakers who might be a good fit for the project?

The well-reviewed first film grossed over $280 million worldwide (over $70 million of that domestically), while its 2004 sequel "Edge of Reason" made nearly as much despite not being well-received by critics. Given that there's been a seven-year gap since the last movie, the studio really needs to pick a fresh up-and-comer like Feig to get audiences excited again.

Author Helen Fielding, who wrote the bestselling novels on which the first two films were based, is currently writing the third book in the series, though it's unclear whether the next movie will serve as a direct adaptation. The London Evening Standard reported Fielding's statement at a reading earlier this year that the third novel would partially focus on the title character suffering a "mid thirties baby crisis".
Luckily for Universal, which distributed "Bridesmaids", Feig isn't straying from the nest anytime soon; he currently has two other projects set up at the studio, including an untitled Jon Hamm/Melissa McCarthy comedy being produced by Judd Apatow.

Related Searches:Bridget Jones, Bridget Jones 3, Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding, Renee Zellwegger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Paul Feig, Bridesmaids