“I ask that you grant me and the Shondaland group some religion as we move forward,” wrote Quinn, who weighed in on fans’ “disappointment” about Michael’s “twist” being changed to Michaela for the Netflix adaptation of his and book collection.
Spoilers for Bridgerton season three and Julia Quinn’s novel When He Was Depraved.
Bridgerton creator Julia Quinn, who wrote the eight-book collection the Netflix The series is based on, is speaking out amid fan backlash after the show made a very massive change from the novels.
On Monday, the creator released an announcement on social media, during which she addressed fans’ “disappointment” after it was revealed that love interest Francesca had been gender-swapped, and her character is now queer.
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Near the tip of Bridgerton In the season 3 finale, which was released earlier this month, newlywed Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) is introduced to her husband John Stirling’s cousin, Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). She appears nervous, confused, and can’t remember her personal name, alluding to the fact that she’s likely interested in Michaela.
However, Francesca’s book, When he was depraved, which is the sixth book in Quinn’s collection, follows Francesca, now a widow, and her whirlwind romance with John’s cousin, Michael Stirling.
After the season 3 finale, many fans – particularly book readers – were outraged that Francesca’s love interest had changed from male to female, with people screaming Bridgerton Season 3 showrunner Jess Brownell on social media and expressing her frustrations online.
One of the reasons fans say they are upset about the major change is because Francesca struggles with infertility in her storyline, Michael Sterling is a fan-favorite male character – whereas, in the show, Francesca appears to not be very interested in his first kiss with John, and appears to be instantly won over by Michaela. In the book, she is deeply in love with John, even after his death.
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Quinn shared a lengthy statement on social media in which she weighed in on the big move from page to screen.
“Many Bridgerton fans expressed their surprise and, for some, disappointment at the twist at the end of Bridgerton season 3 – that Michael Stirling, who Francesca finally falls in love with in When He Was Depraved, would replace Michaela,” Quinn began.
“Anyone who has seen an interview with me over the past 4 years knows that I am deeply dedicated to making the world of Bridgerton more varied and inclusive as the tales are transferred from book to screen,” she continued. “However, changing the gender of a serious character is a big change, and so when Jess Brownell first approached me with the idea of changing Michael into Michaela for the present, I wanted more information before checking my deal.”
“I believe in Shondaland’s vision for Bridgerton, but I wanted to make sure we stayed true to the spirit of the book and the characters,” Quinn wrote. “Jess and I talked about this for a long time. More than once. I made it clear that it was incredibly important to me that Francesca’s enduring love for John be reflected on screen. When I wrote When He Was Depraved, I really fought to include the first four chapters, which establish that love. My writer was worried that writing about Fran’s love for John would take away from Michael’s role as the eventual hero of the novel.”
Quinn added: “I’m sure now that when Francesca gets her season of Bridgerton, it will be the show’s most emotional and moving story, just like When He Was Depraved always was. the real tear-jerker of the Bridgerton eBook collection.
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“In fact, it could have an even bigger impact, as John is getting a lot more screen time than he is on the web page, and I think it’s fair to say we’ve all fallen a little in love with him,” she explained, referring to if how Bridgertonthe show has already introduced John to viewers.
Quinn concluded his post by thanking “readers and followers for their suggestions.”
“I am grateful for your understanding and humbled by your deep dedication to the characters in the Bridgerton world. I ask that you grant me and the Shondaland group some faith as we move forward,” she said. “I think we will have two stories, one on the page and one on the screen, and both will be beautiful and moving.”
Despite Quinn’s attempt to reassure her followers with her statement, the comments section of her post is flooded with still-angry followers.
However, in an interview with Selectionhost Jess Brownell opened up about discussions about “queer illustration” on the series.
“When we started talking about queer illustration on the show, we started with a dialogue that it’s a show about happily ever after and that we don’t take queer trauma seriously — that we really want to see queer pleasure,” she mentioned. “And if we can tell a strange story, we need to find a way for there to be a happily ever after.”
“So we do a lot of analysis to determine how we achieve this within the confines of our world,” she added. “And after people watch the next few seasons, I can discuss it more.”
Bridgerton The third season is available to stream on Netflix.