Mad About the Boy" stars Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant. Colin Firth also returns as Mark Darcy in a few scenes, with a catch.

"We've been forging this friendship for over 25 years together… through this shared journey," the actress tells PEOPLE For Renée Zellweger, reuniting with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant on the set of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy was a bittersweet experience.

Hugh Grant’s absence from the third movie in the Bridget Jones franchise was a major talking point among fans, as was the supposed death of his character in an off-screen plane crash. The original plan was for Grant to return as Bridget’s womanizing ex Daniel Cleaver,