Julia Quinn is standing her ground for this season's diamond. During the season three finale of Bridgerton , the Netflix series revealed a major change from the books by introducing the future love interest Franchesca Bridgerton ( Hannah Dodd ) as Michaela Sterling ( Masali Baduza )—not Michael, like in the books. But while some fans expressed frustration over the gender swapping, the books' author is defending the decision.
"Anyone who has seen an interview with me from the past four years knows that I am deeply committed to the Bridgerton world becoming more diverse and inclusive as the stories move from book to screen," Julia wrote on Instagram June 25. "But switching the gender of a major character is a huge change." So, when showrunner Jess Brownell approached her with the idea of turning Michael—whom Francesca marries after the death of her husband John (played by Victor Alli )—into Michaela, Julia emphasized that she thought long and hard before making any decisions.
"I trust Shondaland's vision for Bridgerton , but I wanted to be sure that we could remain true to the spirit of the book and of the characters," she explained. "Jess and I talked for a long time about it. More than once.
I made it clear that it was extremely important to me that Francesca's abiding love for John be shown on screen." And the 54-year-old is confident that Franesca's season will be equally as gut-wrenching as her book When He Was Wicked . She even credited how season three of Bridgerto.