Benedict gets suited up as the Bridgerton season 4 lead: Watch the announcement!

The announcement all Bridgerton fans have been waiting for has finally arrived! After weeks of speculation following the tease-heavy ending of season 3, Netflix announced which Bridgerton sibling will be the star of the next season. Drumroll please... Benedict Bridgerton is your new romantic lead for Bridgerton season 4! Sophie Beckett, where are you?!

On July 23, Netflix released an official announcement video, which teased "next season's most compelling match will be unmasked" and welcomed Benedict to the marriage mart. He's been running from this exact moment and avoiding making a real commitment for three seasons. But he can't run from love any longer! It's his time to step into the spotlight.

While the announcement video features mostly clips of Benedict from throughout the series (sorry, there's no new footage to analyze!), there's a new clip of Luke Thompson accepting his post as the series' new leading man. Someone delivers him a suit for "the masquerade ball." Anyone else just get chills?! It's happening! Watch Thompson accept his duties in the video below!

Benedict is the lead of Bridgerton season 4

So, now it's official... Bridgerton season 4 focuses on Benedict's love story. As all fans of Julia Quinn's book series know, Benedict ends up with Sophie Beckett in An Offer from a Gentleman. (That's not really a spoiler since the Netflix show has not changed the pairings from the books.) A rumor began swirling in June that a casting call for a character named "Emily" was actually the search for Sophie.

Prior to stepping into his leading man duties for season 4, Benedict had quite the pivotal arc for emotional growth in season 3, which found him falling for Lady Tilley Arnold and exploring his pansexuality in a throuple with her and Paul. By the end of season 3, he moved on from Tilley, even though she proposed having a relationship with only him. Our guy's growing up and ready for love!

The end of season 3 also lightly teased the masquerade ball and dropped the bombshell that Francesca's love match had been gender flipped. Clearly, there's a lot to look forward to in Bridgerton season 4, beyond Benedict's love story with Sophie. After picking up steam in season 3, Francesca's own love story will surely continue to evolve and possibly even set her up to lead the not-yet-renewed season 5.

However, we will have to be patient for season 4. Although cameras were tentatively scheduled to begin rolling sometime this summer (some rumors suggested as soon as June), the filming start date was ultimately postponed to September. Either way, the fourth season won't begin streaming on Netflix until sometime in 2026. Until then, with the lead now confirmed, it's time to sink our teeth into every new casting development and behind-the-scenes detail we can get our hands on.

Stay tuned for more Bridgerton season 4 news and updates from Netflix Life!