What do you do when your company is having trouble? You go back to the things you know will make money. That seems to be what Working Title is doing. In the last few weeks the British production company has made 45 staff members redundant, due to the economic slowdown and a lack of hits in recent years, but now it’s been revealed that they’re planning a third Bridget Jones movie, which is almost guaranteed to make money.
Renee Zellweger is already attached to the film, which will continue the adventures of the weight-obsessed Bridget. Variety is reporting that the story is likely to be based on the weekly columns that Jones author Helen Fielding wrote for The Independent in 2005, in which a 40-something Bridget desperately attempts to have a baby before it’s too late.
There’s no writer or director attached to the project, which shows quite how early in development the movie is, with Working Title likely talking about it to give some good news during its economic woes. Although the redundancies look dramatic, the company has said it won’t affect its core business and that they still plan to make and release around four films a year. And that’s bloody good news, as at the moment Working Title is amongst the most important players in the British film industry and any cutbacks there would have a big impact to the entire UK filmmaking community.