Bridgerton season 4 is officially set to focus on Benedict Bridgerton and his romance with Sophie Beckett – but who will play our new leading lady?

Yep, in case you haven’t heard, it’s been confirmed that Benedict and Sophie will be the main couple in Bridgerton season 4. Luke Thompson will take over as our new leading man, following in the footsteps of Regé-Jean Page, Jonathan Bailey and Luke Newton.

Sophie Beckett, Benedict’s future wife, has not yet appeared in the Netflix series but fans are eagerly awaiting to find out who will portray the beloved character. In fact, they’ve already dug up a casting call that they think might be for Sophie.

Bridgerton season 4 is set to begin production in the coming months, so it shouldn’t be too long until Netflix announce who’ll be playing Benedict’s romantic partner. Until then, here’s everything we know so far…

Benedict Bridgerton marries Sophie Beckett – but who will play her? Picture: Netflix

Who is Sophie Beckett in Bridgerton?

Sophie Beckett is the illegitimate daughter of an Earl, who, after his death, ends up being forced to work as a servant for her step-mother Araminta and step-sisters Rosmund and Posy. She first appears in Benedict’s book, An Offer From A Gentleman.

One night, she sneaks out to the Bridgerton’s masquerade ball, meets Benedict, dances with him and then flees at midnight. He then spends the next two years attempting to find out who she was, with the intent of marrying her.

Eventually, they cross paths again but Benedict has no idea that she is the woman he’s been searching for this whole time. Sophie begins working for the Bridgertons and the two begin to explore their relationship but because of Benedict’s vow to the unknown masked woman, things don’t quite go so smoothly.

Will Bridgerton gender-flip Sophie Beckett?

In season 3, Benedict began to explore his sexuality. He embarked on a physical relationship with Lady Tilley Arnold who then introduced him to a man named Paul Suarez. The trio engaged in a threesome, and Benedict realised how much he enjoyed his new experience with Paul.

Since season 3 aired, Luke Thompson and showrunner Jess Brownell have confirmed that Benedict is pansexual and that he will explore his ‘fluid’ sexuality further in season 4. That said, it sounds like Bridgerton will keep Sophie as a female character.

The official description reads: “Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down — until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball.”

It’s unclear how much the show will deviate from the book storyline in season 4, but ultimately, Benedict and Sophie appear to be endgame.

Who plays Sophie Beckett in Bridgerton season 4?

No names have officially been mentioned by anyone in the Bridgerton cast and crew in regards to the role of Sophie. But according to Collider, a casting call for a character named ‘Emily’ has been shared and people think it may actually be for Sophie instead.

Described as a “major recurring role”, ‘Emily’ is described as a character roughly between 24-30 years old, who is plucky, endlessly resourceful, and having trouble trusting others. ‘Emily’ is also scripted as an East Asian female.

Based on the fact that the role will involve “nudity and scenes of a sexual nature”, fans have theorised that ‘Emily’ is likely a romantic interest of the lead character – who we now know is Benedict.

Of course, the casting call for ‘Emily’ might not actually be Sophie at all. She could be an entirely new character created specifically for the show, much like Lord Debling and Lady Tilley Arnold in season 3. But she does sound very similar to Book Sophie…

Again, no official announcements have been made in regards to who will be playing Sophie, but people have begun sharing their dream castings for the role. Shadow and Bone‘s Jessie Mei Li has been mentioned frequently amongst fans.

We’ll update this article as soon as more information about who’ll be playing Sophie is revealed. Until then, we’ll be busy getting ready to board the Benophie express!