‘Bridget Jones 3’: No Hugh Grant, No Daniel Cleaver

Hugh Grant said in a Free Radio interview that he pulled out of the third installment of the Bridget Jones movies, but that the movie would probably move forward, removing the “love-rat” character Daniel Cleaver. Still, Grant insists that Bridget Jones 3 will be based off of an excellent book… even though the script is “completely different.”

The Bridget Jones movie series took a fairly big hit with its first sequel: The Edge of Reason. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Emma Stone was so upset with Colin Firth that she had to text him her disgust. Many critics generally seemed to agree with the Emma Stone’s sentiments, although the film did make an estimated $262 million worldwide.

Now fans have been waiting for another look at the spunky spinster, but Bridget Jones 3 has been held up for some time. The movie was reportedly stalled for rewrites to the script to make it more to Hugh Grant’s liking. But the stall was long enough to put the project “on ice.”

As Colin Firth explained, “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’ granddaughter’s story being told by the time we get there.”

With Hugh Grant pulling out of the project, things just seem to be looking worse and worse. Grant announced his withdrawal to Free Radio saying, “I decided not to do it, 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.”

According to critics, the book is excellent. Bridget Jones 3 is based on the novel, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which the New York Times described as, “Not only sharp and humorous, despite its heroine’s aged circumstances, but also snappily written, observationally astute and at times genuinely moving.”

So the film still has potential. Not only is it backed by a popular best-seller, Colin Firth and Renée Zellweger are believed to be signed on the for the film. Firth’s character Mark Darcey is killed off in the second novel, but in the Bridget Jone’s movie universe, he will supposedly be spared. In addition, the original author of the Bridget Jone’s books, Helen Fielding, will have an active role in the movie’s production.

Despite those merits, Hugh Grant’s leaving might be the final nail in the coffin for Bridget Jones 3.

[Image Credit: Tine Hemeryck/Wikimedia Commons]