Bridgerton Author Issues Statement on Divisive Twist to Francesca’s Love Story

Bridgerton author Julia Quinn has issued a statement about the hit Netflix show’s surprising decision to change a major part of Francesca Bridgerton’s love story in future installments.

It has already been two weeks since the final episodes of Bridgerton Season 3 debuted, and many fans remained divided about the show’s latest twist involving Francesca Bridgerton’s love story. In the character’s original book titled When He Was Wicked, Francesca’s main love interest was her late husband’s cousin Michael Stirling, who was a fan-favorite character and one of the most beloved leading men. However, in the final episode of Bridgerton Season 3, it was revealed that Hannah Dodd’s Francesa is now expected to fall in love with the gender-swapped version of the character, Michaela Stirling.

What did Bridgerton author Julia Quinn say about the Francesca twist?

On her social media account, Quinn confirmed that current Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell received permission from her to change Francesca’s story into a queer romance. She advised fans of her Bridgerton book series to trust Brownell and the rest of the Shondaland team’s vision, assuring them that this change won’t take away “the spirit of the book and of the characters.” She also cited her commitment to making the Bridgerton franchise more diverse and inclusive as part of the reasons why she agreed with the show gender-swapping Michael Stirling to Michaela Stirling.

“Many Bridgerton fans have expressed their surprise, and for some, disappointment in the twist at the end of Bridgerton Season 3 — that Michael Stirling, with whom Francesca eventually falls in love in When He Was Wicked, would instead be Michaela,” Quinn wrote. “Anyone who has seen an interview with me from the past four years knows that I am deeply committed to the Bridgerton world becoming more diverse and inclusive as the stories move from book to screen. But switching the gender of a major character is a huge change, and so when Jess Brownell first approached me with the idea of turning Michael into Michaela for the show, I needed more information before conferring my agreement.”

She continued, “I trust Shondaland’s vision for Bridgerton, but I wanted to be sure that we could remain true to the spirit of the book and of the characters. Jess and I talked for a long time about it. More than once. I made it clear that it was extremely important to me that Francesca’s abiding love for John be shown on screen.”

You can read Julia Quinn’s full statement below:

Bridgerton is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and showrunner Jess Brownell. It currently stars Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Golda Rosheuvel, Jonathan Bailey, Claudia Jessie, Ruby Barker, Sabrina Bartlett, Ruth Gemmell, Adjoa Andoh, Polly Walker, Bessie Carter, Simone Ashley, Hannah Dodd, and Harriet Cains, with Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown.

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