Alert the gals, clear your Valentine's Day plans for 2025, and prepare for a rousing rendition of 'All By Myself' (by me) becauseBridget Jonesis back, baby.

Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant have been locked in for a fourth film in the franchise, titledMad About The Boy. It will be based around Helen Fielding's best-selling third book, which once again covers the ups and downs of the chronically unlucky fictional heroine, Bridget Jones.

It's hardly a surprise that almost eight years after the third film, the franchise is back for more, given that the original trilogy (2001'sBridget Jones's Diary, 2004'sBridget Jones: The Edge of Reasonand 2016'sBridget Jones's Baby) brought in more than $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office.

In a cinema landscape that increasingly depends on existing fandoms to bankroll any new film, another instalment was inevitable.

But whatissurprising is that one of the main characters has been cut from the fourth film. While Grant's character, sleazy loser ex-boyfriend Daniel Cleaver, will be back, Jones' actual husband and the ultimate rom-com heartthrob Mark Darcy is MIA.

That's right, Colin Firth has not signed on for the fourth film.

I am alarmed. I am distressed. No — I am inconsolable.

It was Firth's Darcy who coined the film's most iconic line, "I like you very much... just as you are," and it feels quite bizarre for an entire franchise to hinge on the love story between Bridget and Mark only for him to ghost her after they had a baby in the third film.

But while this will come as a shock to the film's fans, it won't be as much of a surprise to followers of the book series.

The novel,Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, begins with the death of Mark Darcy, who was killed by a landmine in Sudan.

So yes... he did ghost herin a way.

Not sinceSex and the Citykilled off Mr Big will a fictional death rattle women like this.

If the film stays close to the book, the story will pick up four years after Mark died, as a widowed Bridget has to navigate raising two small children while attempting to date again in her 50s.

This is whereOne Dayactor Leo Woodall is expected to step in as Bridget's new love interest. According toThe Guardian ,Woodall will play "the hot 30-year-old with whom Bridget starts sleeping as she starts dating again following her bereavement".

I mean, I'm still devastated about Mr Darcy, but... I'm listening.

Along with Woodall, Chiwetel Ejiofor will also join the roster of attractive men. Emma Thompson will return to the franchise, but it's unclear if she'll reprise her role as obstetrician Dr. Rawlings fromBridget Jones’s Baby.

But still... WHERE IS MY SWEET, SWEET, UGLY-XMAS-SWEATER-WEARING COLIN FIRTH?

Look, I can accept that given the rather grim fate of his character in the book, it makes sense for him to play a smaller part in a fourth film. But for the character to not even get a final scene with Bridget is a bit bloody rough for the legions of fans who considered Bridget and Mark the blueprint for rom-com couple goals.

Pls Colin, find some free time to shoot one final scene to give fans a tiny bit of closure. Our hearts have been through ENOUGH.

The silver lining is that the franchise's worst character, aka the third film's billionaire love interest Jack Qwant, also doesn't seem to be coming back, with no mention of Patrick Dempsey returning. He'll be fine, he's sexy enough, remember?

In these trying times, we must take this as a win.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boywill premiere in cinemas on Valentine’s Day in 2025.

Feature image: Universal Pictures.