Shonda Rhimes teams up with Bridgerton author for prequel novel

Rejoice, gentle readers, for more Bridgerton content is coming your way. The forthcoming prequel show based on the hit Netflix series based on the immensely popular romance novels is getting its own romance novel adaptation. How’s that for synergy!

Shonda Rhimes already rules television, so why not turn her golden pen to publishing? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the writer-producer will team up with the brains behind Bridgerton, Julia Quinn, for a novel about “how the young Queen’s marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton.”

Romance readers may know that Quinn has already penned a Bridgerton prequel series (focusing on the family’s neighbors, the Rokesbys). But this novel will hew closer to the plot of the upcoming series about Queen Charlotte, who was an original invention (based on a real historical figure) for Netflix’s Bridgerton.

“Queen Charlotte has been such a moving character to write and now having the opportunity to work with Julia to adapt this story into a book is such an exciting opportunity. I can’t wait for fans of this universe to read the story of a character that has resonated so deeply with our audience,” Rhimes says in a statement (per THR).

Quinn, whose novels typically focus on fictional aristocrats living in actual historical Britain, says, “Taking Bridgerton from book to screen was fascinating for me to watch, and it’s such an exciting challenge for me to take it in the other direction, this time crafting Shonda’s brilliant vision into a novel. I’m especially thrilled to have the opportunity to write about Queen Charlotte, who was not in the original novels. Her character—and Golda Rosheuvel’s brilliant portrayal of her—was a tour de force, and I think readers will love getting a chance to know her more deeply.” In other words, prepare to swoon.