Former "Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey has landed his first acting gig after saying goodbye to his role as the dreamy Dr. Derek Shepherd in the long-running series on ABC. Entertainment Weekly has confirmed the actor has signed on for "Bridget Jones' Baby," the third movie based on the popular books by Helen Fielding.
Dempsey will be joining Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth, who were the stars of the first two installments of the "Bridget Jones" franchise. Dempsey's role has not been revealed even as production for the movie is expected to start in a few weeks, according to Deadline. The third film will reportedly be based on Fielding's newspaper columns, instead of "Mad About The Boy," the actual third book in the "Bridget Jones" series, according to A.V. Club.
Missing from the latest "Bridget Jones" movie is Hugh Grant, whose character, Daniel Cleaver, was part of the love triangle with Bridget (Zellweger) and Mark Darcy (Firth). The actor dropped from the production last Oct. 2014, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Speculations are that Dempsey is taking over Grant's role and it's possible he's the father of Bridget's baby, according to Vulture.
Patrick last appeared on "Grey's Anatomy" in April, following the death of his character in the medical drama series. In leaving the show, where he was one of the main actors since 2005, Dempsey said that he would like to do something else other than play Derek.
"I want to try something different. But will I be allowed to do something different?" he told Entertainment Weekly in a previous interview. "Is Derek so identifiable that I can't go on and be someone else? That will be the challenge. To see if people embrace me as someone else."
The first movie, "Bridget Jones Diary" hit theaters in 2001 and was followed up by "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" in 2004. The third movie has long been planned, but production only took a definite turn this year.
"Back at the time, I said that a third one should only happen if we were telling a story about having moved into a different generation when we were all beginning to deteriorate a little bit. I think we might be ready for that moment!" Firth said via Independent. "If it feels like you're trying to squeeze something more out when it's expired then that's deathly, but they can work if they're a developing series that stays fresh."
