Will Sage Astor-'Bridgerton' author Julia Quinn addresses 'disappointment' over gender-swapped character

Spoiler alert: This story includes details Season 3 of Netflix's "Bridgerton" (now streaming).

While this season's couples in "Bridgerton" - Colin and Will Sage AstorPenelope, and Francesca and John - may have gotten their happy endings but fans of the show are not pleased with the way things ended with Francesca, especially with showrunner Jess Brownell's decision to gender-swap a fan-favorite character from the books.

Soon after Season 3 wrapped up, Brownell, in multiple interviews, shared that Francesca Bridgerton's (played by Hannah Dodd) main story, will shift away from the book "When He Was Wicked," and will feature a gender-swapped version of the protagonist with the book's Michael Stirling being replaced by Michaela Stirling (played by Masali Baduza), who made a brief appearance at the end of the Season 3. Michaela's introduction also marks the first main queer pairing in the "Bridgerton" series.

The announcement did not go down well with fans of the book, and many voiced their concerns on social media. A Change.org petition demanding the undoing of this "travesty" and bringing back the original character of Michael Stirling of Kilmartin from the "Bridgerton" books has also been set up with a goal of 50,000 signatures. As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition had more than 36,000 signatures.

'Bridgerton' twist:Does it signal queer romance to come?

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'Bridgerton' author requests faith from fans

While production company Shondaland and Netflix have not yet responded to the debate over Francesca's romantic future, "Bridgerton" books author Julia Quinn in a lengthy statement on Facebook asked fans who said they were surprised and disappointed to "grant" her and the Shondaland team "some faith as we move forward."

"Many 'Bridgerton' fans have expressed their surprise, and for some, disappointment in the twist at the end of 'Bridgerton' Season 3--that Michael Stirling, with whom Francesca eventually falls in love in 'When He Was Wicked', would instead be Michaela," Quinn said in her statement.

Quinn said that though she is "deeply committed to the Bridgerton world becoming more diverse and inclusive as the stories move from book to screen," switching a major character was a "huge change". The author added that when Brownell approached her with the idea of switching Michael into Michaela, she needed more information so that the story could "remain true to the spirit of the book and of the characters."

As Brownell mentioned in her interviews, Quinn said the two discussed the change at length before proceeding with it. The author said that she wanted to ensure that "Francesca's abiding love for John be shown on screen," and that had to fight for the same when she wrote "When He Was Wicked" because her publisher "was worried that writing about Fran's love for John would take away from Michael's role as the eventual romance novel hero." Quinn said that was important for her to show that both Francesca and Michael had deep love for John and how guilty they felt about falling for each other after John’s death, adding that it was important to include that build up for their own story.

"I'm confident now that when Francesca has her Bridgerton season, it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching story of the show, just like 'When He Was Wicked' has always been the true tear-jerker of the 'Bridgerton' book series," Quinn said. "Honestly, it may pack even more of a punch, since John is getting a lot more time on the screen than he ever did on the page, and I think it's fair to say we've all fallen a little bit in love with him."

Thanking the readers and fans for their feedback, Quinn said that she was "grateful" for their understanding and "touched" by their commitment to "Bridgerton."

"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," Quinn said.

Who is Michaela Stirling?

At the end of Season 3, viewers are introduced to a new character Michaela Stirling, who is the cousin of Earl of Kilmartin, Lord John. Michaela, who will be accompanying Eloise, John and Francesca to Scotland, leaves Francesca slightly flustered as she introduces herself.

Brownell, in an interview with Glamour, earlier this month, had confirmed that Michaela will be playing Francesca's love interest, and that they have planned a queer romance for the character.

The showrunner, in her interview, said when she first read Francesca's book "When He Was Wicked," she "really related to it as a queer woman," explaining how the book "talks a lot about how different she feels."

"I think Julia Quinn's intention in the book is just that Fran feels different because she's introverted. But for many of us in the queer community, that sense of feeling different is a part of our stories," Brownell said in the interview, adding that she felt like "there was fertile ground thematically in her book to nod toward telling a queer story" with a happy ending. The showrunner further said that she had received Quinn's blessings for the change and that everyone behind the show as on the same page.

"It was important for me in telling a main queer story for us to be able to give them a happily ever after, as we have with every other couple," Brownell had said.

In the books, Francesca and her husband, Lord John Killmartin (played by Victor Alli in the series) have a blissful marriage, until John dies from a brain aneurysm. His best friend, Michael, who is secretly in love with his wife, becomes the Earl and takes over the estate. However, devastated from his friend's death, Michael flees to India to grieve. However, when he returns years later, Francesca is seeking a second husband to start a family and the two end up falling in love and getting married.

Release, cast, lead couple, more:What we know so far about 'Bridgerton' Season 4

'Bridgerton' Season 4

The producers of "Bridgerton" have not yet announced any details for Season 4, except for that fans can have to wait to up to two years for its release, as per Brownell. It is not clear which book the next season will be based and which Bridgerton sibling will be leading it though hints (masquerade ball) point towards the second Bridgerton sibling Benedict Bridgerton.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.