Season 3 spoilers ahead.
Colin Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington and their shippers finally got their happily ever after on Thursday with the final four episodes of Season 3 of Netflix's Regency-era romantic drama "Bridgerton."
With Season 3 done and dusted over what appeared to be an entire social season, all eyes are now on Netflix and Shondaland to announce the lead pair for Season 4 of "Bridgerton." The series is adapted from Julia Quinn's books of the same name, with each book focusing one of the eight Bridgerton siblings: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth.
Anthony, Colin, Daphne and Francesca all have had their happily ever afters in the first three seasons of "Bridgerton," which leaves the remaining four siblings. Gregory and Hyacinth are far too young, which leaves Benedict and Eloise. So, who is it going to be?
Here's what we know about Season 4 of "Bridgerton" so far, including cast and release date.
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'Bridgerton' twist:Does it signal queer romance to come?
Yes. In April 2021, a few months after the Season 1, Netflix announced that "Bridgerton" would be renewed for Season 3 and 4.
"Esteemed members of the Ton. It seems we have a rather special announcement," Netflix had said in their announcement. "'Bridgerton' shall return for seasons three and four. This author shall have to purchase more ink..."
Netflix hasn't exactly been consistent as far as "Bridgerton" release dates are concerned.
The first season released in December 2020 and the second season landed a little more than a year after in March 2022. However, Season 3 took its sweet time, coming just over two years later and in separate parts. Part 1 of Season 3 dropped May 16, while Part 2 released on June 13. In between Seasons 2 and 3, Netflix released "Queen Charlotte," a spinoff from the "Bridgerton" series with none of the main Bridgerton siblings.
Netflix has not yet announced the details for Season 4, but showrunner Jess Brownell, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at the U.K. premiere for Part 2 Wednesday night, said fans can expect a wait of up to two years.
"We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they do take eight months to film and then they have to be edited and then they have to be dubbed into every language," Brownell told THR. "And the writing takes a very long time as well, so we're kind of on a two-year pace, we're trying to speed up, but somewhere in that range."
In a separate interview with the Los Angeles Times, Brownell revealed that the next season will begin filming in the fall and that the next season may have a warmer vibe to it compared to the pastels and spring-like feel of the last three seasons.
Netflix and the cast and creators of "Bridgerton" have been rather tight-lipped over which Bridgerton sibling will be leading Season 4. Will it be the free-willed Eloise (Claudia Jessie) or the second-born son Benedict (Luke Thompson) or even Francesca, whose story is not yet complete? The producers haven't followed Quinn's chronology, switching things up to surprise audiences.
When the first part of Season 3 released in May, Jessie, in an interview with USA TODAY, said: "I don't know anything. But I'm going to be so brokenhearted when I have to stop playing Eloise. I just want to be here as long as I can."
At the end of Season 3, Eloise departs for Scotland to live with her younger sister Francesca at her husband, the Earl of Kilmartin's estate there, in order to see more of the world before she can "attempt" to change it. However, she tells big brother Benedict that she will return before their mother's masquerade ball, where Benedict is expected to meet his love interest Sophie Beckett, if the books are anything to go by.
Thompson, meanwhile, in a recent interview with USA TODAY tried to evade the question, coyly saying: "Oh, my God, no. I don't even know if it is next season."
"I couldn't possibly comment. I know nothing," he said, adding that he's excited to eventually "deep dive" into Benedict's character.
Benedict, at the end of Season 3, ended things with Lady Tilly Arnold, telling her that he was enjoying his freedom and wanted to explore more of the world. Tilly was hoping for a more substantial relationship with the Bridgerton brother, telling him that even "merriment can grow tiresome." That conversation seemed to have resonated with Benedict and in his parting shot, he appears to be at a crossroads over his future.
“I’m really excited about what we’re writing," Brownell told THR. "We’re towards the end with the writers room season, with the scripts. And I feel like it’s some of my best work and my writers room’s best work. We’ve just really gelled our collaboration, and we’re firing on all cylinders so I can’t wait for fans to see what we have.”
Interview:Luke Thompson talks 'Bridgerton's' next season, all things Benedict
Netflix has not yet announced if Benedict will be leading Season 4 and have also not revealed who will be playing his love interest from the books, Sophie Beckett, the illegitimate daughter of Richard Gunningworth, the Earl of Penwood, and a maid.
Brownell told TVLine that “for any character’s season, we try to save all the big building blocks of their season for their season."
"When we start out any season, we want our protagonists to be at the very beginning of their journey in many ways and to still have a lot of room for growth so that we can really dig in," Brownell said.
While Netflix has not yet announced cast details for Season 4 of "Bridgerton," it is likely that much of the recurring cast would be returning for the new season, though some of them may have limited screentime, based on previous trends. Viewers can also expect to see new characters such as Micheala Stirling, who made a brief appearance at the end of Season 3.
Meanwhile, here's a list of actors and their characters in Season 3 of "Bridgerton":
At the end of Season 3, viewers are introduced to a new character Michaela Stirling, who is the cousin of Earl of Kilmartin, Lord John. Michaela, who will be accompanying Eloise, John and Francesca to Scotland, leaves Francesca slightly flustered as she introduces herself.
Brownell, in an interview with Glamour, confirmed that Michaela will be playing Francesca's love interest, and that they have planned a queer romance for the character.
The showrunner, in her interview, said when she first read Francesca's book "When He Was Wicked," she "really related to it as a queer woman," explaining how the book "talks a lot about how different she feels."
"I think Julia Quinn's intention in the book is just that Fran feels different because she's introverted. But for many of us in the queer community, that sense of feeling different is a part of our stories," Brownell said in the interview, adding that she felt like "there was fertile ground thematically in her book to nod toward telling a queer story" with a happy ending.
"It was important for me in telling a main queer story for us to be able to give them a happily ever after, as we have with every other couple," Brownell said.
In the books, John and Francesca have a blissful marriage, until John dies from a brain aneurysm. His best friend, Micheal, who is secretly in love with his wife, becomes the Earl and takes over the estate. However, devastated from his friend's death, Michael flees to India to grieve. However, when he returns years later, Francesca is seeking a second husband to start a family and the two end up falling in love and getting married.
"Bridgerton" is slated for eight seasons, given that there are eight books in Quinn's "Bridgerton" series.
Brownell told TVLine that the producers are "aiming for eight seasons," and "want every sibling to have their own season."
Executive producer Shonda Rhimes also previously said they plan to adapt all eight Bridgerton books into eight seasons for Netflix.
So, stay tuned, gentle reader.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.
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