Bridgerton creator and showrunner, Chris Van Dusen, reveals the five films that inspired the Netflix series ahead of the release of season 2. The second season of the romantic period drama is set to debut on the streaming service on March 25th, 2022. Bridgerton season 2 will shift focus from Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page's Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset to Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey's Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton.
Based on the world of Julia Quinn's novel series, Bridgerton explores the lives of aristocratic young people during the social seasons of Regency-era London. In the high-society landscape of England, where love is in the air, scandal, gossip, and rumors linger, courtesy of the tell-all newsletters penned by the mysterious Lady Whistledown, who is portrayed by Julie Andrews as she narrates the events of the series. Bridgerton has become one of the platform's most popular titles, breaking previously held viewership records upon its release, outperforming previous successful series, and attracting fans with its Regency-era romantic story. Ahead of the second season's release, Bridgerton's showrunner has revealed the films that he pulled inspiration from when creating the successful series.
When speaking to EW, showrunner and creator Van Dusen revealed the five films that he most notably took inspiration from when creating Bridgerton for Netflix. In the article, Van Dusen stated both the 1995 miniseries adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation, which starred Keira Knightley alongside Succession's Matthew MacFadyen, Martin Scorcese's The Age of Innocence, Dangerous Liaisons, The Duchess, and Barry Lyndon all inspired the Netflix series, providing reasons for his choices. With both Pride and Prejudice adaptations, Van Dusen stated they were gold standard examples that introduced him to the genre, while The Age of Innocence and Dangerous Liaisons helped inspire the series' tone and handling of sexual scenes. The showrunner also explained that themes, the character of Knightley's Georgina, Duchess of Devonshire, and foregrounding of the female gaze in The Duchess inspired Bridgerton's story, while Stanley Kubrick's direction and visual storytelling in Barry Lyndon inspired the aesthetics of the Netflix series.
While pulling from beloved, distinctive previously released period pieces, Bridgerton season 2 is expected to further set out its own place, building upon the first season's foundations and evolving. Newcomer to the Bridgerton cast, Ashley, teased a grittier, more dramatic second season in a recent interview, noting that there was an increase in sexual tension in the show. Van Dusen has also recently teased a grander scale for the show that would satisfy existing fans, stating that characters like Claudia Jesse's Eloise Bridgerton would have a greater exploration in the new season.
With its incredible success upon release, Bridgerton can be considered another great example of the period drama genre, outperforming previous hits like the first season of fantasy epic, The Witcher. Praised for giving the genre a modern update that can stand over titans of the current era of television, it is clear that Van Dusen's series has taken what made his inspirations successful to create a new period piece for a new generation. With a further third and fourth season being confirmed after a record-breaking debut, Bridgerton itself could shape up to be an inspiration for future period dramas.
Source: EW