Bridgerton author Julia Quinn has shared her thoughts on one of season three’s biggest book-to-screen changes, saying the gender-swap of Michael to Michaela was the subject of much discussion with Netflix showrunners.
I should forewarn you there are spoilers ahead, but in the Bridgerton universe, didn’t all of this stuff happen, like, 200 years ago?
In case you’ve missed the Ton news cycle (I’m assuming it’s written with a quill), Bridgerton’s most recent instalment followed the romance between Luke Newton’s Colin and Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope, while also introducing Francesca’s love story with her husband, John Stirling.
While all of those characters appear in the book, a major change to Quinn’s source material was revealed in the season three finale, when Francesca’s second love interest — a man known as Michael Stirling in the book, titled When He Was Wicked — appeared as a woman named Michaela (we checked, it wasn’t just Michael in a wig).
“Many Bridgerton fans have expressed their surprise, and for some, disappointment in the twist,” Quinn wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
The author agreed with fans that the Michael to Michaela shift was a “huge change”, but said it didn’t come without much consideration with Bridgerton’s showrunner, Jess Brownell.
“When Jess first approached me with the idea… I needed more information before conferring my agreement,” Quinn wrote. “I wanted to make sure that we could remain true to the spirit of the book and of the characters.”
Quinn said she and Brownell discussed the change “for a long time”, especially since Francesca’s love stories are “extremely important to me”.
The author added that Francesca’s first love interest John “got a lot more time on the screen than he ever did on the page,” so the emotional impact of her eventual Bridgerton season will remain intact, regardless of Michael’s gender.
“I’m confident now that when Francesca has her Bridgerton season, it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching story of the show,” Quinn wrote, before describing When He Was Wicked as “the true tear-jerker of the Bridgerton book series.”
Elsewhere, Quinn said the gender-swap was part of her broader commitment to make “the Bridgerton world [become] more diverse and inclusive as the stories move from book to screen.”
When Francesca does get her Bridgerton season — before you get your corsets in a twist, that’s a while off — it will mark the show’s first central queer love story, though there has been a hint of bi-curiosity among some of the other characters.
Call it the Challengers effect, because everyone in the Ton is bi… during Pride Month no less!
Source: Netflix/Bridgerton and @juliaquinnauthor/Instagram
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