Bridget Jones is back! All the details that will make you mad about the new film

It's been nine long years since the most recent instalment of the Bridget Jones movie franchise, and we could hardly be any more excited to see the fourth movie - which will finally be out this week (watch the trailer above).

And we're not the only ones looking forward to it... Mad About the Boy is tracking to be the biggest ever Bridget Jones film to date with two major UK cinema chains reporting it was already outselling blockbuster Barbie ahead of its release in the comparative pre-sale period.

Photos of a range of scenes have been released, and they seem to indicate we have a joy-filled film coming our way. In one snap, Renée Zellweger, as Bridget, and Leo Woodall, as love interest Roxster McDuff, can be seen grinning together in a park.

In other shots, however, Bridget sits by the fire with Chiwetel Ejiofor's character, Scott Wallaker, a teacher at Bridget's children's school.

One still also shows Bridget and her friend Shazza (played by Sally Phillips) lying on the bed and laughing together, which is making us nostalgic for their friendship in the early films.

Ahead of the film's release, here's everything we know so far...

What is Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy about?

The fourth film is based on the Helen Fielding's book of the same name and will follow Bridget a few years down the line from where the last film left off, when Bridget had a son with Mark Darcy.

Now widowed with two children both in school, Bridget will navigate returning to the dating scene following the death of her husband, as she's pursued by a younger man called Roxster (Leo Woodall) and, possibly, her son's teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

Speaking about the age gap between Bridget and Roxster, Fielding told The Times: "It’s got to stop because it’s really not reflecting what’s happening. For years and years we’ve seen Hollywood show men 40 years older than their partners, and it’s not even discussed.

"Now movies are finally exploring a desire between younger men and older women that’s reciprocal, not transactional. Bridget and Roxster both see something they want in each other — and Bridget having sex and being sexy is to be celebrated."

Renee Zellweger, meanwhile, said that Bridget's character continues to inspire her. In an interview with Digital Spy she said: "She inspires me, she's authentically herself, and as much as she self-scrutinises, she's not self-conscious.

"She's not thinking about what she looks like all the time. She's messy and that's okay, and she doesn't get it right and that's okay.

"Even though the execution isn't always perfect in her planning, she still triumphs. Who doesn't find her inspiring?"

Who's starring in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy?

• Renee Zellweger returns as Bridget Jones
• Hugh Grant returns as Daniel Cleaver
• Colin Firth returns as Mark Darcy (in some flashback scenes)
• Leo Woodall stars as Roxster McDuff, Bridget's new love interest
• Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Scott Wallaker, a teacher at Bridget's children's school
• Jim Broadbent returns as Colin Jones, Bridget's dad
• Gemma Jones returns as Pamela Jones, Bridget's mum
• Sally Philipps returns as Bridget's best friend Shazza
• Shirley Henderson returns as Bridget's friend Jude
  
• James Callis returns as Bridget's friend Tom
  
• Casper Knopf stars as Billy Darcy, Bridget's son
  
• Mila Jankovic stars as Mabel Darcy, Bridget's daughter

How can I watch Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy?

Fittingly, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy will be out on Thursday 13th February this week - just in time for Valentine's Day.