Washington DC, March 24 -- The makers of 'Bridgerton' have set Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza) as the leads for Season 5 of the Shonda Rhimes-created Netflix period romance, reported Variety.

On Tuesday, Netflix unveiled a first-look teaser for the fifth season of the series, which is based on Julia Quinn's romance novels about the love lives of the eight siblings in the titular Bridgerton family, and announced production had begun in the UK on the eight-episode season.

"The fifth season of Bridgerton spotlights introverted middle daughter Francesca (Hannah Dodd). Two years after losing her beloved husband John, Fran decides to reenter the marriage mart for practical reasons. But when John's cousin Michaela...