Bridgerton author Julia Quinn has gotten insight into the upcoming seasons of the show — including which actors will take the lead.
“I know who is scheduled next,” Quinn, 55, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, May 22, while discussing her upcoming judging duties for The Novelry’s “Next Big Story” writing contest. “It could always change, like, [the order] has changed in the past.”
Netflix’s Bridgerton series is adapted from Quinn’s eight-book romance franchise of the same name, in which each Bridgerton sibling has their own story to find love. The first season followed book No. 1, The Duke and I, about Daphne’s (Phoebe Dynevor) courtship. Season 2 followed suit with Anthony’s (Jonathan Bailey) The Viscount Who Loved Me. Seasons 3 and 4, however, swapped the order of An Offer From a Gentleman starring Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Romancing Mister Bridgerton featuring Colin (Luke Newton).
Season 4, based on Offer and about Benedict’s journey to find love, is currently in production with two more seasons already greenlit. While it is not known which Bridgerton siblings will take the lead of the next seasons, contenders include Eloise (Claudia Jessie), Francesca (Hannah Dodd), Gregory (Will Tilston) or Hyacinth (Florence Hunt).
“My hope is that all the siblings will eventually take the lead because we love them [all],” Quinn added to Us. “That was kind of the whole point of the books is that you’ve got these eight separate stories, but they’re all connected.”
While Quinn wrote her regency romance books in a certain order, she “was fine” that Shondaland opted to switch up the schedule.
“With books or film or television, they have different needs … to make them work well, and they have different strengths,” Quinn explained. “Certain things that work great in the book don’t necessarily work well on television. And so, one of the things about the television show, which they changed up a bit [that] was necessary, was to turn it a little bit more into an ensemble.”
Quinn further noted that “because of the way the story unfolded” onscreen, it did make sense to move Colin’s romance with Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) ahead of Benedict and Sophie (Yerin Ha).
“I was a little surprised by how angry the ‘Benophie’ fans were. I mean, they were, like, really mad,” the bestselling novelist told Us. “I felt like saying, ‘Hey, you know the longer we wait for them, the more Benedict we get in the story’ because the way things [go in the book], once a couple has their main story, you see a bit less of them. I think it’ll be worth the wait.”
According to Quinn, season 4 will “be great” when fans have a chance to watch the episodes upon next year’s premiere.
“I’ve read all the scripts, and I’ve seen some of the episodes,” she teased, noting she recently had a chance to visit the set in England. “I did get to see a few scenes get filmed, and the one that they were working on most of the time was a group scene. So there are a lot of people in it. That’s always really special to see because one of the things that I think the show does so well is capture the sense of family and to be able to see that, sort of, live or close to live.”
Without giving away specific details, Quinn noted that the family-centric scene “was really just beautiful.”
While Quinn — just like Us fans — wait for more details about the final cut of Bridgerton season 4, she has judging of The Novelry’s “The Next Big Story” writing contest to keep her occupied in the interim.
“It’s this innovative new contest where we’re judging just three pages of somebody’s novel and it’s a huge prize,” Quinn said, referring to the $100,000 winnings. “I remember looking at it, thinking like, ‘Wait a minute. [Is it] really just three pages?’ Because part of me is like, ‘OK, that’s crazy.’ … I just thought, ‘Why not?’ I mean, I think about the number of times that I have read books where, within about three pages, I’m like, ‘This one’s not for me’ or ‘This one looks great.’ So I thought, ‘Let’s see what somebody can do in three pages.’”
Quinn, who stressed that she loves discovering new authors, is also looking forward to working with the rest of the judging panel, including Emma Roberts, Zosia Mamet, Carley Fortune, Yann Martel and Zibby Owens, among other authors, tasked with sifting through the submissions.
“[These are] just people I really admire, and so that was part of the excitement for me is to be able to meet some of these authors who I really admire and haven’t ever known before,” Quinn added. “I’m just excited about it.”
The “The Next Big Story” contest officially opened on May 1 and will close on July 31. The winner will be revealed in October.
“When it comes to writing fiction, the barriers to engagement seem so high. So many self-exclude and find it hard to get the nerve to even try their hand,” The Novelry founder and fellow author Louise Dean told Us in a statement about the contest goals. “We want to change that with an extraordinary prize that rewards the mischief of that moment and the impulse of creativity, when a first sentence goes down on a page and anything can happen next! With ‘The Next Big Story’ prize, we’re hoping to bring the energy of the music industry to the halls of publishing. Everyone’s invited. Let’s find some new voices.”
Bridgerton season 4 premieres in 2026.
