London, April 12, 2000 -- Hugh Grant and Colin Firth have been cast in the upcoming feature film Bridget Jones¹s Diary, it was announced today by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, Co-Chairmen of Working Title Films.

Bridget Jones¹s Diary is scheduled to commence principal photography in the UK later this month. The film will be helmed by first time feature director Sharon Maguire, produced by Jonathan Cavendish, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner with a script from, Helen Fielding, Andrew Davis and Richard Curtis. Renee Zellweger has been cast in the title role of Bridget.

Hugh Grant (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill) will play Daniel Cleaver and Colin Firth (Pride and Prejudice) will take the role of Mark Darcy.

Bridget Jones¹s Diary is based on a character that author Helen Fielding created for a column she began in the Independent newspaper in 1995 In 1996, the popularity of the column led Fielding to write a novel based on Bridget¹s diary. The book went on to become a commercial and cultural phenomenon, selling over 4 million copies worldwide, with 1.5 million sales in the UK alone. Her recently published second novel, Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason, has remained the No.1 selling book in the UK since its release.

Working Title Films is Britain¹s leading film production company.  Together, co-chairmen Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner have over 40 films to their credit, including the most successful British film of all time,  "Notting Hill", "Elizabeth" (which garnered seven 1999 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture), "Four Weddings and a Funeral", the Oscar-winning successes "Dead Man Walking" the Coen Brothers¹ "Fargo" and the international hit "Bean; the Ultimate Disaster Movie". Additional international successes include "The Big Lebowski," "French Kiss," "The Borrowers" and "My Beautiful Laundrette".

Upcoming Working Title releases include: High Fidelity starring John Cusack and Iben Hjejle and directed by Stephen Frears; Dancer, Stephen Daldry¹s directorial debut; and the new Coen Brothers¹ movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?  starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman.

Working Title have a long-term agreement with Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures have entered into an agreement with Canal+ Image, whereby films produced by Working Title will be distributed in the US through Universal Pictures, and internationally through Universal Pictures International and Canal+. Universal Pictures is a part of Universal Studios, which is a unit of The Seagram Company Ltd., a global entertainment and - appropriately for Bridget - beverage company.