Dearest readers, Bridgerton season 4 has officially begun filming. The incredibly popular Netflix romantic drama series’ next chapter has, as of September 16, entered full production – and, we don’t know about you, but we’ve already fallen in love with ‘Benophie’, the forthcoming season’s new couple who’ll set pulses racing.
So, what are Lady Whistledown’s gossip sheets telling us about the hit show’s fourth installment? You’ll need to read on to find out more. There’s plenty to discuss, too, including Bridgerton‘s likely return on the world’s best streaming service, its confirmed cast, potential story threads, first-look footage, and more. Full spoilers follow for Bridgerton season 3 and its predecessors. Potential spoilers for Bridgerton season 4 are also on the way.
Please rise for Sophie Baek & Benedict Bridgerton!!!
Here's your first official photo of Yerin Ha and Luke Thompson on the set of Bridgerton Season 4. Now OFFICIALLY in production. pic.twitter.com/TyOlryDXEU
— Netflix (@netflix) September 16, 2024
Bridgerton season 4 has been on the cards since it was announced alongside season 3 in April 2021. However, while there’s exciting news about ahead, there’s no official release date to share yet – and you may be saddened to hear it’s looking like it won’t arrive until mid-2026.
Netflix confirmed filming on season 4 had begun on September 16 as one of many Netflix Geeked Week 2024 announcements. And, per What’s on Netflix, principal photography will likely run for several months, too. We shouldn’t expect to see season 4 for two years, then – and that’s been all but confirmed by showrunner Jess Brownell, who told The Hollywood Reporter (THR): “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. 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.”
We don’t have an official trailer, but a brief Bridgerton season 4 teaser, which confirmed season 4’s romantic lead will be Benedict Bridgerton, arrived in July.
Seen amongst clips of previous seasons, the text “Welcome to the marriage mart, Benedict,” appears on the screen. Following the montage, we’re treated to behind-the-scenes footage of a person off-screen saying “I hear we’re fitting you for a suit”, to which Benedict aka Luke Thompson replies “I already have an outfit for tonight.” The person off-screen responds “Oh no, it’s not for tonight. It’s for the masquerade ball”, before Benedict says “In that case, come on in.”
The masquerade ball, according to Julia Quinn’s novels, is where Benedict famously meets Sophie Beckett, aka the ‘Lady in Silver,’ but we’ll dive into this in our plot section.
Here’s the confirmed cast for Bridgerton season 4 so far:
- Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton
- Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek
- Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton
- Victor Alli as Lord John Stirling
- Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury
- Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown
- Lorraine Ashbourne as Mrs. Varley
- Masali Baduza as Michaela Stirling
- Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Bridgerton
- Hannah Doss as Francesca Stirling
- Daniel Francis as Lord Marcus Anderson
- Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton
- Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton
- Martin Imhangbe as Will Mondrich
- Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton
- Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton
- Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte
- Will Tilston as Gregory Bridgerton
- Polly Walker as Lady Portia Featherington
- Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich
- Hugh Sachs as Brimsley
- Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gun
- Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li
- Isbaella Wei as Posy Li
We know who Benedict Bridgerton is, but who will play the famous Sophie Beckett (or, in Netflix’s adaptation, Sophie Baek)? In August, Variety’s sources suggested Australian actress Yerin Ha (Halo, Bad Behaviour) had been cast, and Variety’s sources proved to be right – Netflix confirming Ha will play Sophie in an X/Twitter post on September 11.
Your Sophie has finally arrived. Please welcome Yerin Ha to Bridgerton Season 4! pic.twitter.com/sHZMZIPhTD
— Netflix (@netflix) September 11, 2024
Speaking to Netflix Tudum about what drew her to the role, Ha said: “She immediately has obstacles – something that she constantly has to overcome, whether it’s this battle around social status or trying to hide her feelings from Benedict. When does Sophie put on this mask to cover her emotions? Or vice versa, when does she take it off and when does she soften up? Playing with those [questions] is just really fun.”
But why the surname change? As Ha explains, it’s down to her Australian actor’s Korean heritage, which showrunner Jess Brownell was also eager to honor as part of Sophie’s slightly revised backstory. “A name is the first bit of identity that you share with the world, and that’s why changing a name can be so powerful,” Ha said. “To make Sophie’s name fit someone who looks like me is really empowering. All credit to Jess Brownell, our showrunner. It’s a really nice way for me to feel like the role is fit for me, rather than me having to fit a certain mold. It’s amazing what it can do just in a psychological sense. So, it means a lot that Jess did that for me.”
Ha’s hiring isn’t the only one to be announced in September. Five days after Netflix cast its Sophie, the streamer also revealed three more stars who’ll appear as prominent characters in season 4: Katie Leung (Arcane, The Peripheral) as Lady Araminta Gun, Michelle Mao (A Big Bold Beautiful Journey) as Rosamund Li, and Isabella Wei (1899) as Posy Li.
BENOPHIE LOADING pic.twitter.com/reMYaASG9I
— Netflix (@netflix) September 16, 2024
As for season 3’s shining couple Penelope and Colin, they’ll also be back. Speaking to Town & Country, Luke Newton said: “I’m excited for the happily ever after and to see what that brings. I have so much trust in Jess [Brownell] that it will always be interesting and always be exciting. That’s also the joy of being in the Bridgerton family: There’s always going to be drama. There’s always going to be something I get to help out with or causing mischief or whatever it is.”
Bridgerton season 4 plot rumors
Full spoilers follow for Bridgerton season 3 and Julia Quinn’s ‘An Offer From a Gentleman’ book, which season 4 is based on.
Bridgerton season 4’s story brief hasn’t been unveiled yet – and it won’t be until closer to its release. Even so, we have some ideas of where the plot will go, based on its source material and how Benedict’s story in the third season ended.
In Bridgerton season 3, the focus was Penelope and Colin, which actually meant the show skipped ahead in Julia Quinn’s book series. As previously mentioned, however, season 3 will leap back a few chapters to book three, which is called ‘An Offer From a Gentleman’. Fans of the books will know, then, that it’s time for Benedict the bachelor to meet Sophie Beckett – the elusive Lady in Silver who sneaks into the masquerade ball to find a suitor, stumbles upon him, and likely captures his heart.
Benedict Bridgerton’s Season 4 story? Let us pour some tea…
Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down — until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother's masquerade ball. pic.twitter.com/KmGDp1L5FF
— Netflix (@netflix) July 23, 2024
In the books, the Lady in Silver is the illegitimate daughter of an Earl and one of his maids, although he hasn’t publicly acknowledged her as his daughter despite her living with him.
It may be hard to believe Benedict may finally settle down, considering how season 3 ended. Indeed, viewers watched as Benedict embarked on not one, but two relationships; the untethered playboy messing around with Lady Tilley Arnold and Paul Suarez. However, he broke up with the pair in the season 3 finale after he decides he doesn’t want to tie himself down to any one person.
Elaborating on why Benedict made that decision, Luke Thompson, who plays the character, told Netflix Tudum: “Benedict has always been a little lost – or free, depending on the way you want to look at it. But, now he’s trying to find something a bit more solid in himself. His identity has been a little bit of a question mark, but it doesn’t ever seem to really bother him. It often feels like ‘you’re either this, or you’re this’. He’s finding it out.”
Showrunner Jess Brownell also spoke to Tudum about Benedict’s love story, adding: “It felt important for him to explore the fullness of himself before he settles down. He is someone who has big appetites, and we wanted to see him living a big life before he goes into settle-down mode.”
Much like Bridgerton’s first three seasons, though, the romantic lead isn’t the only one embarking on a love story, of which there’s most certainly more to explore in season 4. We know that Lady Violet Bridgerton was enjoying the company of Lady Danbury’s brother, Lord Marcus Anderson – and, during the season 3 finale, we saw the pair dance the night away at the Dankworth-Finch ball.
Kate and Anthony are due to welcome their first child, too, which will see the married couple travel to India to do so. There’s also more to explore from Colin and Penelope as Polin embark on married life and raising their child. Luke Newton spoke to Tudum about their new role, teasing: “Once you’ve had your moment, it’s really nice to see how they’ll navigate married life. It’ll be a place of comfort for them and they’ll enjoy it.”
And then there’s Eloise traveling to Scotland alongside her sister Francesca and new husband Lord John Stirling. She decided to pursue her curiosity and take a break from the marriage mart in doing so, so it’ll be interesting to see how she spends her time there.
It was as much of a cliffhanger ending for the new Stirlings as well, as Francesca met John’s cousin Michaela Stirling. In Quinn’s book ‘When He Was Wicked’, this character is male and goes by the name Michael Stirling, so the role has been gender-swapped for Netflix’s adaptation. Michaela’s appearance sent fans wild, and for those who’ve yet to read the book, the significance will become all the more clear as the seasons continue.
Finally, amongst all the love and marriage, Queen Charlotte made a statement in the season 3 finale of accepting Lady Whistledown, aka Penelope Featherington. Whether the Queen’s favor continues, only time will tell.
Where to watch Bridgerton
Bridgerton seasons 1 to 3 can be streamed exclusively on Netflix. One of the best Netflix shows is also joined on the platform by prequel spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. If you find yourself at a loss while we wait for season 4, here are six dashing dramas like Bridgerton to be captivated by, too.
Will Bridgerton get a fifth season?
Netflix hasn’t announced if a fifth season will be made. But, according to executive producer Shonda Rhimes, there’s hopefully going to be at least eight. Per Variety, Rhimes said she still plans to adapt all eight of the Bridgerton books, adding: “I do have a very specific plan of where we go each season – which one is which. Because you really have to start seeding in the other siblings, and what’s going on with them, to push them to the next season. We’ve really talked about it through, I think, season 6 or maybe 7.”
It’s unclear if Netflix will take a similar approach to Bridgerton seasons 3 and 4 and renew two more seasons at the same time. Considering how popular Bridgerton continues to be, however, we’d be surprised if it doesn’t greenlight the pair, if not a trio of new seasons, before too long.
As for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Rhimes has teased the possibility of making a second season. “We talk about it a lot,” she told Variety. “And, for a while, I was holding it very close, and didn’t necessarily know that I wanted to play it out in a Bridgerton season. But, now we’ve been talking about what it would look like if we saw a little bit in Bridgerton’s present day, with Brimsley and Reynolds, and what that would mean [and] I think it deprives us of a chance to tell the story the way it should be told.”
