Here are some photos of Renee Zellweger filming Bridget Jones’s Baby yesterday in London. For those of you following Bridget’s adventures over the years, this third Bridget Jones film will NOT be based on Mad About the Boy, which sees Bridget in her 50s and raising two young children (SPOILER after Mark Darcy dies). No, this film sees Bridget and Mark as a married couple, having babies and enjoying all of that. Apparently, Hugh Grant’s character is not involved whatsoever, although they did add Patrick Dempsey to the cast, possibly to flirt with married lady Bridget? Who would you rather: Patrick Dempsey or Colin Firth? That’s an easy one, isn’t it?
Anyway, I don’t know if it’s the padding or what, but this is the best Renée Zellweger has looked in a while. Even though the second film was utter horsesh-t, I love Renee in this role. It’s a celebrated role for her and I don’t blame her at all for going back to it. I mean…her career really isn’t doing much, you know? The Bridget Jones franchise is like The Expendables of rom-coms.
There’s some question about who the audience is for a third Bridget Jones film. I don’t know… I kind of like the fact that someone, somewhere thought Bridget-lovers would be interested in seeing Bridget’s happily-ever-after with Mark, that it would still be compelling to see her as a married woman having babies. I’m not saying this is going to be a smash success, but I think the box office will be decent. The first Bridget Jones movie holds up, and it’s one of those movies (like Love Actually) that I like to watch every year around Christmas. What I’m saying is that I think there’s a market there. Maybe not a HUGE market, but a dedicated market.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, WENN.
So Colin Firth will be in it? I thought he said no more BJ. I loved the first movie, hated the second, but I’d give them one more chance to redeem themselves. I still miss Renee’s old face, though.
No more BJ?! LMAO. I know I’m like 12. But for Colin….
I kind of giggled too.
I love Bridget Jones and I love Love Actually and while I am at it Notting Hill. Why did it have to be Julia Roberts though!
I have no idea how I just got sucked into Notting Hill casting regret while reading a story about Bridget Jones?
Oh snort! I meant Bridget Jones, not…where is my mind today
Third giggler!
Her face in general seems the same to me, except, and this is a very huge exception, her eyes. Her hooded eyes were so very original and striking! Now, her face is unexceptional and generic, much as Jennifer Gray’s face became after she altered her nose. I understand why they did it, for seeing and breathing issues, which are very good reasons, but they have lost the feature that most defined their facial uniqueness. It is sad to me; it would be like me losing my green eyes, my most unique facial feature. It is like a loss, and I never see Renee as I used to, she is generic to me now. I know that sounds harsh, but i am being honest. Does anyone else see her this way?
Genuine question:
How are they going to justify Renee playing the same character she’s played for the last two films when she looks nothing like herself anymore?
Really? I was thinking that she looks very much like herself. Especially in that close up where she’s smiling. Same rosy cheeks and squinty eyes.
I’ve always had a soft spot for her. Although not enough to go see the film, tbh.
I love Renee. I think she looks very much like herself, just older than she was in the first movie.
I don’t think the tweeks changed her face, so what if she had something done to her eyes, she still looks like Renee to me.
I think many are over exaggerating in saying she doesn’t look like herself now, in these clips, IMO She looks like Renee, herself just older.
I can’t wait for the film, I loved the first movie, didn’t care for the second one, but this one looks like it may be good. Can’t wait.
Good point. Maybe Mark Darcy cheated Bridget with a hot young nanny, and she ended up going under the knife. A sort of new, darker Bridget Jones.
I don’t think she looks that different. I don’t see a big difference except a bit of eye lift but she still looks like Renee here in these photos.
(Oopsie. I responded to the wrong comment!)
Suspension of Disbelief. It’s movies, after all.
I just rewatched the first one with my son’s 17 year old gf. I love the first one. The second one was unwatchable. I’ll wait for the third to come out on Redbox.
Colin always.
As you’ve said, best she’s looked in a very long time. On or off camera.
I have residual affection for BJ (pun unintended) and will watch this uncritically.
She always looks so sad with those new eyes! Her eyes used to be smiley and happy, now not so much.
That’s what I see too. It’s like they are more downward (?) or something now Vs the previous squinty/smiley ones that were cute.
The second movie was terrible but the first one is one of those movies you can watch over and over again. I love it!
I hope they learned from their mistakes with the second one and this one will be better. (but to give a little credit to the filmmakers the source material was not great as book number 2 was also horrible, so maybe it’s a good thing the third film is independent from the books…)
I’ve only read the first book and I must say,I always felt her execution of the character and accent to be flawless. Best role she has ever played.
Watch the movie. I usually am a die hard the book is better person but this is a good movie.
Is it just me or is she starting to look like a hybrid of her old self and her new self? Like her surgeries have settled a bit?
No, I think she looks more like her old self, too.
yeah, I thought so too.
Bridget always struck me as a mouth breather.
Yes she looks more like her old self again, which was probably the way the surgery was intended, once it settled in. IMO she looks like Renee again.
The coat kind of looks like a shaved muppet.
It reminds me of the coat Toni Collette wore in About a Boy. “The mother was wearing some sort of Yetti costume.” LOL
I think they had to bulk her up a bit with wardrobe as it is obvious she isn’t gaining the Bridget weight back for this movie. Obviously the baby bump helps a bit in that regard.
Too old to pull off a pregnancy
lol! I don’t know why but girl you had me chuckling at work, now my coworkers are looking at me all cray-cray
Too funny – I’m just visualizing the looks you are getting 🙂
I kinda agree. I saw her face with the baby bump and thought..*side eye* miracle pregnancy. Maybe it will be a modern pregnancy storyline, where yes Bridget is a little older than the other moms in her group, but bc she and Mark froze their embryos and implanted it in her, she can pull off a mid/late 40s pregnancy….hmmm
My ex’s mom got pregnant at 41. It’s possible, but Renee is looking BAD for her age and that is making all the difference in convincing an audience if she is able to get knocked up at this point. All of her weight loss and plastic surgery is making her look far worse than she should as a woman in her mid-40s. Kate Winslet would be better suited for the role at this point.
Even in the book they had Bridget getting pregnant at ridiculous ages. I can’t remember exactly what but she was 51 with a toddler or something.
There are a lot a LOT of over-botoxed moms in their 40’s who’ve been through ten years of fertility treatments. Especially on the West coast. She looks like half of Yaletown or Santa Monica.
I will pay to see this movie in the theaters just to show my love this franchise. And since I moved to Paris I no longer go to the movies so I will happily trek to Les Halles (the portal to hell) just to see it.
Bridget is one of the best characters. Good on Renee for not being to big to go back to it. I heard Firth was not in it? Who doesn’t want to see their favorite characters live out a happily ever after. Glad this isn’t the 50 year old Bridge version. Saw some photos elsewhere and I guess Dempsey is going to be married to Shazzer?
I’m definitely part of that dedicated market! I’m so excited. The first movie is one of my all time favorites and I still watch it several times a year. I love her in this role, I hope this time Renee wins the Oscar. She was nominated for the first film!
The first movie was magic. I’ve seen it quite a few times. The second film not. I will see it. If it gets good reviews, I will go to the theater. If it doesn’t, it will be a home movie. But my Hugh isn’t in it. McDreamy just doesn’t have it for me on a big screen. He’s a good small screen actor.
I agree. I think in movies he is so over the top cheesy (Maid of Honor, Sweet Home AL, etc), but came across more genuine in his McDreamy role.
I read the third book, and in my head I heard Renee’s voice as Bridget. It made me MISS her, like she was a friend or something! She is just so delightfully charming in this role.
I don’t know who will watch this.. she looks so different, it’s kind of letdown.
She doesn’t look like herself at all anymore. Those huge bushy eyebrows for one – very different from her old look. And the adorable epicanthic fold she used to have that gave her her signature look is gone. Which just leaves her with very small looking eyes and strange looking eyelids. I know this sounds harsh, but I loved her old look, and she has obliterated it and it makes me incredibly sad.
Her eyebrows are a mess a lot lately. I think she’s gone kind of tan, beachy, all natural look when not working because it’s something her musician boyfriend likes. Maybe he’s kind of a throwback hippy, because those eyebrows in one photo were horrible. That’s never been her look ever until he came in the picture.
What makes me sad is that she felt so insecure with her eyes – her signature feature that made her so adorable – that she felt the need to change them. I hate seeing beautiful women who aren’t comfortable in their own skin. It’s just like why? I just wish we could appreciate our own beauty for what it is. Oh well, in the end it was her choice. Still disappointing though.
I thought she changed her eyes for seeing issues because of the epicanthic folds?
I noticed since she’s been with her musician guy she’s gone from very pale skin, very honey blonde hair, and deeper lipsticks and dark, well-groomed eyebrows to tan, often lighter eyebrows, and pale lipstick and darker blonde. I love her old look better, but if he makes her happy.
Before and after previously posted on Celebitchy,
http://www.celebitchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/reneeba.jpg
Did anybody read the book where the Colin Firth character is DEAD? I can’t even imagine pursuing such a horrid idea. But Bridget being perplexed by kids with Mr Darcy could be great.
I read it (Christmas gift, I felt obligated) and it was awful. It felt like the author had lost all affection for her characters and had only written it for the possible movie tie in, I found it depressing and contrived. Also I liked in the first book/film how Bridget was an ordinary Londoner with a regular life, in the latest one she’s become a smug rich person. It killed all my affection for the character and I loved the first film, even if the new film isn’t based on this book I’m not sure if I can bring myself to watch it.
I thought I was going to hate it and I did hate that she (SPOILER even though it’s listed up above) killed Mark Darcy. But I actually ended up enjoying it – Daniel being a bit of a sad lost soul in middle age, Bridget’s obsession with Twitter and her boy toy I liked – the plot line about her screenplay was a mess/annoying though. I think people just don’t want the character to age, I’ll be amazed if they ever make a film of it.
I will be there with a pack of Milk Tray and smuggled chardonnay, if only in the hopes of cleansing the third book from my brain. And also for Colin Firth, who I would choose everyday and twice on Sundays over Patrick Dempsey.
Loved her in that role!
I watched the first movie after reading the book and it was a rare case of the film character perfectly matching the one I had in my mind!
Renée is a good actress and by all accounts a nice person, she deserves to get back into the Hollywood game.
But if anyone wants to see how disgusting the paps are, watch this video following Renee in the airport screaming out about plastic surgery to her. Disgusting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o79Ncmo44S0
I just watched that clip. It’s appalling. I can’t imagine the restraint and grace it must take not to haul off and belt one of those vipers following her, surrounding her and pelting her with stupid questions. Those paps are scumdogs.
Truly disgusting. Renee seems like such a sweet person and this video makes me feel angry about the way they were treating her. P.S. I loved her as Bridget and the movie is one of my all-time favorites.
The paparazzi do that to every celebrity. It also happens when celebrities are with their kids. They’re vile.
Oh gosh that is just so horrible. I would love the money of a movie star, but def not the fame. I think fame would suck. Being hounded and treated like that is inhumane. I think we do forget that celebs are individuals, they cry and have insecurities just like all us peasants.
She looks way better than the last time I saw her and it isn’t because she’s been in hiding. She should write a book and share her secret, because something happened. Anyway isn’t she a tad old to be a first time mommy with rosy cheeks. Seems about now, it should be Bridget Jones, the perimenopause years. But what do I know. PS…just looked it up, she’s 46. so I do know of what I speak…
It’s odd Bridget will look her thinnest while pregnant.
Also RZ doesn’t look that different at all. People get so OTT about her face but she clearly looks like she did in the previous films.
I love the first movie and will definitely watch this on Netflix or On Demand etc.
Huh. Her face. She looks a lot like her old self again. Much improved.
This makes me nostalgic for British Rom-coms. There aren’t enough. Let’s see.. we have BJ, Love Actually, Notting Hill and I will include the Holiday. Ugh we need more British love stories in HWood please!
None of these is even close to Four Weddings And A Funeral to me,although the latter stretches a bit further than a rom-com. It’s the beginning of all beginnings. Sadly, these days there is nothing similar to watch and I have to re – watch the oldies constantly.
I for one am looking forward to it, hopefully they learned from the mistakes of the sequel and go back to what made the first one so good. Renee looks good, I agree she looks more like her old self again. That said I don’t think she looks young for her age or anything, so quite why she needed surgery I don’t know. There are some funny gags in Mad About the Boy about middle aged women and bad face lifts/botox, etc., something tells me they won’t make a whisper about it in this film.
Highly doubt this movie’s quality due to the script. The first one was brilliant because the writer is (usually) brilliant and easily one of the funniest and wittiest British writers. The moment the writer got a bit tired of the story, the second movie showed it. Without the writer’s initial enthusiasm which has long been dead,as the third book showed, I am very doubtful the script for this movie will manage to pull off the wit and clever humour of tne first one.
I’m a bitchy cynic, but I cannot wait for this movie, and I will undoubtably buy it and watch it over and over.
Meanwhile, found this. Apparently Random House authorized the download of the prologue to Mad About the Boy for free on Scribd. Don’t download from those sketchy Blogspot sites, they’ll give you malware instead of a book. https://www.scribd.com/doc/222904967/Bridget-Jones-Mad-About-the-Boy-by-Helen-Fielding