00:00Bridgerton author Julia Quinn is addressing fan disappointment over the gender flip of a major
00:04character. In the final moments of Bridgerton season three fans are introduced to the character
00:10of Michaela Sterling the cousin of Francesca Bridgerton's husband John Sterling. Now major
00:15spoilers ahead so fair warning those familiar with the books know that John's cousin Michael
00:20becomes Francesca's second husband after John sadly dies. For the screen adaptation showrunner
00:26Jess Brownell changed Michael to Michaela introducing Bridgerton's eventual first same
00:32sex relationship and some fans have expressed their surprise and disappointment over the major
00:37change. In a lengthy social media post Quinn addressed the feelings fans may be having
00:41noting that she was also a little unsure after Brownell brought the suggestion to her.
00:46Switching the gender of a major character is a huge change and so when Jess Brownell first
00:50approached me with the idea of turning Michael into Michaela for the show I needed more
00:55information before conferring my agreement. However after speaking with Brownell the author
00:59noted that she's confident that when Francesca and Michaela's story comes to life in Bridgerton
01:04it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching installment of the show just like the novel was.
01:09She even pointed out that John's death may even hit harder in the show than in the books
01:14because he's getting more time on screen than he ever did on the page.
01:18She concluded by thanking her fans and touched by their commitment.
01:21I think we are going to end up with two love stories one on page and one on screen
01:25and they will both be beautiful and moving. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter
01:29Brownell explained that she got the idea to change Francesca's love interest to a woman
01:34when she read the book and related to it as a queer woman. She noted that even though there
01:38will be some changes they plan on adapting the book pretty closely. She added when we tell the
01:43Francesca and Michaela story we would definitely want there to be a time jump to give Francesca
01:48time to earnestly mourn what she had. For more on this story head to THR.com and for
01:53the latest entertainment news and updates keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.
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