Bridgerton Writer Julia Quinn Could End Up in George R.R. Martin Tragic Situation With One Decision If Things Go South With a Season 3 Plot Twist

Julia Quinn’s historical romance novel Bridgerton‘s adaptation into a series turned out to be a massive success as millions of fans worldwide have showered it with their love and appreciation over the past four years.

However, a particular storyline in the latest season of the show has managed to make a dent in the big reputation the show has built. She appears to be giving creative freedom to the creators. People will remember that George R.R. Martin, the mastermind whose novel series inspired the Game of Thrones show, has seen this film before and didn’t like the ending.

Julia Quinn Approved of the Gender-Swapping of a Character in Bridgerton Season 3

While the third season primarily focused on Penelope Featherington’s (Nicola Coughlan) romance with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), viewers also witnessed the courtship of Francesca (Hannah Dodd) by John Stirling (Victor Alli).

All was going well until John’s cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza), Francesca’s love interest, made her entry into the show because she replaced the character- Michael,in the book. This gender-swapping of characters has led to an outburst from fans online.

Julia Quinn took to her official Instagram account to state that she approved of this gender-swap.

I am grateful for your understanding and touched by your deep commitment to the characters of the ‘Bridgerton’ world. I ask that you grant me and the Shondaland team some faith as we move forward. I think we are going to end up with two stories, one on page and one on screen, and they will both be beautiful and moving.

It has to be noted that this twist has also made a major change to the storyline since in the book, Francesca does not fall for Michael until her beloved John passes away. Contrary to this, in the series, Francesca becomes attracted to Michaela while she is married to John.

Julia Quinn Might End Up in the Same Predicament as George R.R. Martin

Although it is not the first time that the screen adaptation of a book has veered away from the source material, it has to be noted that making changes that disappoint fans often backfires on the show and the creators.

Years ago, George R.R. Martin often let the creators do their thing with Game of Thrones although it is inspired by his novel series A Song of Ice and Fire. In an interview with the Times, he claimed that he was not as involved in the making of the last few seasons.

Everyone saw what happened next as the show’s ratings began deteriorating. In recent years, Martin has been quite vocal about creators’ and screenwriters’ fixation with changing the storyline according to their choice while adapting from books to screens (via Variety).

With Quinn giving the same kind of liberty to the creators of Bridgerton, there is no telling what will be the future of the show. For now, fans rioting over the recent change, and the author claiming that all is well is not boding too well for the show and the author.

Bridgerton is available for streaming on Netflix. Game of Thrones is available for streaming on Max.