It's been 15 years since the release of Bridget Jones's Diary, and it's safe to say that in that time the romantic comedy has become a classic in the genre. But, after the disappointing sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, hit theaters in 2004, it seemed like the romantic Bridget Jones franchise was over for good. Yet Bridget Jones's Baby , the newest installment, hopes to give the franchise new life, and a new legacy. Actors Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth returned for the new film, reprising their roles as Bridget Jones and her love interest Mark Darcy, and, while the actors are 15 years older than they were at the time of the first film, their characters are not. Bridget Jones' Baby takes place about 10 years after the second film, and the events are set in good 'ol 2016.
Yes, just about a decade will have passed since the events of Bridget Jones's Diary by the time Bridget Jones's Baby picks up. Instead of celebrating her 33rd birthday with blue soup like in Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget celebrates turning the big 4-3 in Bridget Jones's Baby. "It's 10 years down the line since we've seen Bridget last," Zellweger said in a new featurette for the film, making it clear just how much time has passed since the events of Edge of Reason.
Unlike other sequels, which often attempt to pick up right where the last film left off, Bridget Jones's Baby has every intention of acknowledging the time gap between the films. When Bridget Jones's Baby begins, Bridget is 10 years more mature. She's a successful television producer with a good career and a fun life full of friends, albeit still single. And for her part, Zellweger was excited about seeing a more grown up Bridget on screen. "There were interesting conversations with Sharon Maguire, the director, about how [Bridget] might have gotten her life together — she's a little bit more mature, she's progressed professionally... and has achieved her ideal weight," Zellweger said in an interview with The New York Times .
Even with all this maturity, however, one thing that has not exactly matured is Bridget's love life. Half way through the 10-year gap between Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones's Baby, Bridget and Mark broke up, making her the same single, hopeless romantic Bridget we all know and love by the time the new movie begins. "I like the message in that: that we can tick off the boxes, and yet we still don't quite have it together. And that's pretty much the truth of growing up, isn't it?" Zellweger added to The New York Times.
It's comforting to know that Bridget might be 10 years older and wiser in Bridget Jones's Baby, but that doesn't mean she's done learning how to be an adult.
Images: Universal Pictures; Giphy
