UPDATE: Working Title head Tim Bevan contacted THR for a follow-up story, in which he explained that while production is in fact delayed as they work on the script, Hugh Grant isn't planning to leave the project, and "the film is going ahead as planned." So while it's not great news for the film, it's not time to give up on it just yet. You can read our original story below.
Getting Bridget Jones back onto the big screen hasn’t been an easy task. While the first two films were based on popular novels, the planned third installment is flying without a published book on which to base an adaptation. Back in August, word was that Fielding was working on a third book and the script for the third movie, and she didn't know if they'd be the same. The script seems to be the root of the issues for the film.
Initially, Paul Feig was supposed to develop the script with the intention of directing, however last October he exited the project, possibly because he wasn’t British enough (or at all). The film has since moved forward with David Nicholls and author Helen Fielding developing the script, with Peter Cattaneo set to direct. But there have been setbacks and one source is even going so far as to say the project is dead.
The Hollywood Reporter posted the update on the film, which is supposed to begin shooting in the next few weeks. According to “multiple sources close to the production” it’s been requested by the creative team that the film be delayed.
“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."
Rumor has it, star Hugh Grant, who joins Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth in returning for the third film, has been “especially vocal” in his issues with the script, but THR isn’t clear on whether that means he’s refusing to do the movie or that he’s just unhappy with the writing. Either way, the producers have reportedly decided to hit pause until they can get things worked out.
?It’s hard to know what to make of this news. On one hand, it’d be great to see Bridget Jones back on the big screen, but factoring in the weak 2004 sequel, and yet more reports of script issues, it’s hard to feel all that excited about it at this point. While THR’s news is unconfirmed (Reps from A Working Title and Hugh Grant have not commented yet), at this point it wouldn’t be all that surprising if we learned that the film was being shelved indefinitely.
