Sharon Maguire’s “The Joy of Sex” Brings a 1970s Love Triangle to the Screen

Sharon Maguire, the director of *Bridget Jones’s Diary* and its sequel, is helming a new comedy-drama titled The Joy of Sex. The film dramatizes the real-life, decade-long romantic throuple that inspired the 1972 bestseller of the same name. Set in the quiet suburbs of North London, the story follows British science professor Alex Comfort (Colin Firth), his wife Ruth (Laura Linney), and her close friend Jane (Julianne Moore) as they navigate an unconventional relationship that ultimately shaped the book’s iconic sketches and candid advice. Production began in the United Kingdom this week, with filming taking place in North London locations.

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The ensemble includes Oscar-winner Colin Firth, Oscar-winner Julianne Moore, and Oscar-nominee Laura Linney, supported by David Tennant, Jason Watkins, and Vicky Krieps. The screenplay is co-written by Maguire and Lise Mayer. Producers are Alison Owen and Debra Hayward (Monumental Films), Anand Tucker (Seven Stories Film & TV), and Matthias Greving (Kinespace Pictures). Executive producers span Deepak Nayar (Kintop Pictures), Colleen Woodcock (Seven Stories), Philip and Isabell Von Alvensleben (Alive Entertainment), Marie-Claire Benson and Emma Berkofsky (Lionsgate UK). Lionsgate will distribute in the United Kingdom, Wild Bunch in German-speaking territories, while Embankment Films handles global sales. Senior lending is provided by DZ Bank, with gap funding from Alive Entertainment.

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Published in 1972, *The Joy of Sex* became a cultural phenomenon, selling more than 15 million copies worldwide and remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for 70 weeks. Its hand-drawn, whimsical illustrations of “hirsute hippies having sex” helped normalize open conversations about intimacy for ordinary couples. The film’s narrative suggests that the book’s erotic yet wholesome tone emerged directly from the personal dynamics of Comfort, Ruth, and Jane.

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• “The Joy of Sex was never allowed inside my Irish Catholic household in the 70s,” — Sharon Maguire, jones’s baby director

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