Picture Credit: Netflix
If it wasn’t already exciting enough that Bridgerton is returning for Season 5 in 2027, with Season 6 already in development — we’re also getting an all-new prequel series chronicling young Violet and Edmund. While Netflix has not announced any casting, Arséma Thomas has confirmed that she will return as Lady Danbury.
In case you missed the big news: Netflix has officially green-lit a new Bridgerton spinoff depicting the early romance between young Violet and Edmund, before they go on to be the matriarch and patriarch of the Bridgerton family. Currently untitled (although we imagine it’ll be titled something like Lady Violet: A Bridgerton Story), the prequel comes from Shonda Rhimes, who co-writes, show-runs, and serves as executive producer alongside Nicholas Nardini, who notably was a writer and producer on Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. This spinoff also marks the first time that Rhimes has written a show since she created and executive produced Queen Charlotte.
Check out the official Netflix description for the Violet and Edmund spinoff:
The series will chronicle the early life of a young Lady Violet and tell the story of her romance with Viscount Edmund Bridgerton.
Unlike the first spinoff, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, which set itself as an original narrative set within the Netflix continuity, the upcoming one has source material to work with. Writer Julia Quinn published the novella Violet in Bloom back in 2013, telling the backstory of Violet and Edmund. While we don’t know if the Netflix series will be a direct adaptation of Quinn’s Violet in Bloom, it’s more than likely that it will take heavy creative inspiration from the novella.
The novella Violet in Bloom was published within Quinn’s The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After (2013), which contains epilogues for all 8 Bridgerton siblings. Violet in Bloom itself is relatively short, coming in at around 50 pages total, but it contains important and crucial backstory that would be completely new to Netflix’s Bridgerton Universe. The novella covers two key moments in Violet’s life. Firstly, it depicts her upbringing at the Ledger estate, contending with her bitter parents, Lord and Vivian, who cannot stand each other. They’re portrayed as a bitter and miserable couple — and that’s key to how Violet approaches her future romance. The other side of the novella covers Violet’s romance with Edmund. He is the antithesis of the upbringing she had: where her parents were cold and distant, he was warm and courteous.
Violet in Bloom will no doubt serve as a general blueprint for the upcoming Bridgerton prequel, but the TV universe has already gone in its own direction in a way that contradicts Quinn’s original story. For instance, Lord Ledger has a romantic affair with a young Lady Danbury in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Lord Ledger himself is portrayed more warmly and gentile in the TV franchise.
Young Lady Danbury actress confirms involvement in the prequel
Picture Credit: Netflix
Of course, Bridgerton fans have already seen younger versions of beloved characters before, look no further than Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023). The series gave fans a plenty of new cast playing established characters. India Amarteifio played Queen Charlotte; Connie Jenkins-Greig played Violet; and Arséma Thomas played Lady Danbury.
Shortly after the announcement of the Violet-centric prequel Thomas has already confirmed her return for the upcoming prequel, writing “we ride again” on her Instagram Story before later confirming her involvement in the spinoff following a private DM with news outlet Black Film Alerts.
Thomas appeared in all six episodes of Queen Charlotte. She ended up with one of the most significant storylines in the series. Most notably, Lord Ledger, played by Keir Charles, notably strikes up a secret affair with her.
Who else will appear in the upcoming prequel?
No castings have been officially announced for the upcoming prequel series, but there’s some obvious contenders. Below we’ve listed the characters (and cast members where applicable) that we expect to appear.
Violet Ledger/Bridgerton
Picture Credit: Netflix
While not confirmed, we expect this prequel to take place in a split timeline in the same manner as Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. If this is the case, we will see the return of Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton before the series then goes back decades in time to cover Violet in her younger days.
Of course, we’ve already seen a younger version of Violet, played by Connie Jenkins-Greig in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The series has not yet confirmed whether Jenkins-Grieg will reprise the role.
Edmund Bridgerton
Edmund has only appeared in Bridgerton once before, being played by Rupert Evans during flashback sequences in Season 2. While he was mentioned in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, he was not cast in the spinoff. A new actor will need to be cast to play the younger Edmund during his courtship years with Violet.
Lord and Lady Ledger
As Violet’s parents, they are key figures in her upbringing and their relationship directly shapes how she approaches romance and society. Both characters do not appear in the main Bridgerton series, but they feature in the prequel series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Lady Vivian appears too, played by Katie Brayben. Netflix has not confirmed that these actors will reprise their roles.
Lady Danbury
As mentioned above, Arséma Thomas has already confirmed her return in the upcoming spinoff. We’re now awaiting official Netflix confirmation.
Queen Charlotte
Of course, Queen Charlotte is absent from Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels, but the TV franchise will almost certainly include her in the upcoming spinoff. It is unconfirmed whether India Amarteifio will reprise her role. The actress has not yet commented on a return.
When does the new Bridgerton prequel land on Netflix?
Netflix has not set a release date for this prequel. We expect to see it arrive in 2027 or 2028.
We’ll keep you posted on all the latest news and updates on this prequel. In the meantime, Bridgerton Season 5 is confirmed to premiere in 2027, and work on Season 6 is currently underway,