Moviegoers who see the upcoming Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy should be ready for an emotional roller coaster, according to Hugh Grant.
“As well as being extremely funny, it’s very, very sad,” the actor shared on The Graham Norton Show on Friday.
Hughh will be returning in his role as the rakish Daniel Cleaver in the British romantic comedy series, which is based on the books of Helen Fielding.
The fourth movie will be a bit darker than its predecessors because its source material is, too. Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel of the same name follows Bridget as a widowed mother in her 50s as she navigates the world of dating.
Renée Zellweger will be reprising her starring role as the titular character, who was caught in a love triangle between Hugh’s Daniel Cleaver and Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy in the series’ first movie, 2001′s Bridget Jones’s Diary.
Hugh came back for 2004′s Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason, but turned down the third instalment, 2016′s Bridget Jones’s Baby.
“I really couldn’t fit my character in – he just didn’t belong, so I stepped aside,” he told Vanity Fair last month.
This time around, the filmmakers had a strong desire to “cram” him in, he said.
“And I felt that he needed a third dimension, he’s in his 60s now, you can’t just have him smoothing his way down King’s Road eyeing up young girls,” Hugh added. The actor worked with producers to come up with what he called a “rather good” “interim story” for the character.
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is slated for release on Valentine’s Day 2025.