Hugh Grant Won't Reprise His Role as Daniel Cleaver in Third Bridget Jones Movie—Find Out Why!

Renée Zellweger is expected to reprise her role as author Helen Fielding's character

Dammit, Daniel Cleaver!

Hugh Grant will not reprise his role as the shady but sexy book publisher in a third Bridget Jones film, co-starring Colin Firth and Renée Zellweger. "The book's excellent, by the way, but the script is completely different—or the script as I last saw it a few years ago," Grant, 54, said in a recent Free Radio interview. "And in the end I decided not to do it. But I think they are going to go ahead and do it without Daniel."

Two years ago, it was reported that Grant was unhappy with the initial screenplay for the follow-up film, which was being put together with the help of novelist Helen Fielding. Then titled Bridget Jones's Baby, the movie was said to focus on Bridget in her 40s, desperate for a baby and torn between two men. Grant's Daniel and Firth's Mark Darcy were to once again vie for the affections of the titular character. At the time, Grant's reps said he hoped to re-team with his co-stars. But, they said, "Renée, Colin and [Hugh] all have some issue with the present script. They are hoping to help work them out."

The production company hoped so, too. "Reports that Hugh Grant has exited Bridget Jones's Baby are untrue," Working Title co-chairman Tim Bevan said in a statement. "The film is going ahead as planned."

Fielding's third novel about Bridget Jones, 2013's Mad About the Boy, is markedly different. In it, Bridget is in her early 50s, widowed and caring for two young kids. Though Mark is dead, she still longs for love.

Meanwhile, The Sun claims that Emma Thompson has been hired to work on the script.