Who is the father of William in Bridget Jones's Baby? The original Bridget Jones's Diary hit cinemas in 2001 and was based on the best-selling Helen Fielding novel of the same name. The film adaptation cast Renée Zellweger as the title character, a British 30-something who must choose between Colin Firth's nice guy Mark or Hugh Grant's charming cad Daniel. The movie proved to be a resounding success worldwide, with Zellweger's performance receiving particular praise.
The cast all returned for 2004's Bridget Jones's: The Edge Of Reason, but while it was another solid hit, the reviews were lukewarm. Fans had a long wait for a third film, which seemed unlikely to happen for many years. Bridget Jones's Baby finally arrived in 2016, with the film finding Bridget pregnant but unsure if the father is her now ex-boyfriend Mark or dreamy billionaire Jack (Patrick Dempsey). Hugh Grant was originally involved with the threequel but ultimately dropped out after being unimpressed by the script and where it took his character.
Bridget Jones's Baby revolves around this central mystery, with both Mark and Jack vying for Bridget's affections. Bridget also holds off taking a DNA test for fear of risking a miscarriage. After comic hijinks ensue, the movie ends with Bridget going into labor and being taken to the hospital by both Mark and Jack, and the two finally take the DNA test. The story then jumps ahead in time to Mark and Bridget's wedding, with Jack as a guest holding onto baby William, and the movie finally reveals that Mark is the father.
Apparently, an alternate ending was shot for Bridget Jones's Baby that revealed Jack was really the father, but the version where Mark is the dad but everyone remains friendly was selected. While it doesn't seem likely a fourth movie will happen, the third movie ends on a twist that could be used to set one up. Hugh Grant's absence in the sequel is explained away as Daniel dying in an offscreen plane crash, but the ending reveals he was found alive.
Given that Bridget Jones's Baby gave the main character a happy ending, there wouldn't be much to gain from a fourth movie where Mark and Daniel compete once again for Bridget's attention. It's also unlikely Hugh Grant would be interested in returning since a big part of the reason he passed on Bridget Jones's Baby was that it was repeating the love triangle again.