Benedict Will Lead Bridgerton Season 4

After mounting speculation about who would lead Bridgerton Season 4, fans finally have their answer. Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) will be the next character to helm Netflix’s Regency romance, the streamer announced on July 23.

“It has been brought to this author’s attention that perhaps it is time to unmask the newest suitor of the marriage mart... Benedict Bridgerton’s story is coming next season,” the Bridgerton Instagram captioned its teaser.

While the clip doesn’t feature any new footage from Season 4, it does give fans a lot to talk about, especially if they’ve read Benedict’s Bridgerton book, An Offer from a Gentleman.

A Peek Behind The Scenes

“Next season’s most compelling match will be unmasked,” states the announcement. “Welcome to the marriage mart, Benedict.”

It ends with a clip of Thompson himself, script in hand, answering a knock at the door. He’s told that it’s time for his costume fitting for the masquerade ball — aka, the place where Benedict meets his love interest, Sophie, in Julia Quinn’s novel.

Several of Thompson’s co-stars celebrated the announcement in the comments. “Let’s go bro!” wrote Luke Newton, passing the torch from Season 3. Simone Ashley sent her love with three heart emojis.

Benedict & Sophie’s Love Story

Of course, one person you haven’t seen marking the occasion is the actor who will play Sophie, but that’s just because her casting hasn’t been announced yet. So far, Netflix has simply said that “an enchanting woman dubbed the Lady in Silver captures Benedict’s attention” at his mother’s ball. While the streamer didn’t mention Sophie by name, the “Lady in Silver” detail does come from the books. It’s how Benedict refers to Sophie in his mind before he learns who she is.

Wondering when Sophie will be cast? The last time a new romantic lead was introduced was ahead of Season 2: Simone Ashley was cast as Kate Sharma in February 2021, roughly a month after Jonathan Bailey was announced as the lead. If Season 4 follows a similar timeline, then Sophie’s actor should be revealed very soon.

As Thompson recently told Bustle, Benedict has a “complex relationship with growing up” — a theme that seems ripe for exploration in Season 4.

“When you’re young, you just want freedom, freedom, freedom to constantly reinvent yourself and discover more,” he said. “It doesn’t really work like that. We are finite, and we have to grow up and make choices. That’s something that Benedict clearly wants to do, but is anxious about doing.”