Bridget Jones' Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film, based on the novel of the same name written by Helen Fielding. The adaptation stars Rene Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love" Mark Darcy. A sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, was released in 2004. Before the film was released, a considerable amount of controversy surrounded the casting of the American Zellweger as what some saw as a quintessentially British heroine. However, her performance is widely considered to be of a high standard, including her English accent. Helen Fielding has stated in many interviews that her novel was based upon both Jane Austen's work Pride and Prejudice and the popular 1995 BBC adaptation Pride and Prejudice. This was also reflected in the decision to cast Colin Firth as Darcy, since he played the 'real' Mr Darcy in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. This is not the film's only connection to that serial - the screenplay was co-written by Andrew Davies, who had written the adaptation of Austen's novel for the BBC.