Pride and Prejudice (1995) starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle
Netflix is full steam ahead on its new British adaptation of Jane Austen’s seminal novel, Pride and Prejudice, a witty tale of love, misunderstandings, and the dangers of first impressions.
Daily Mail and Deadline were the first to confirm the project was in development late last year, with the former noting that actress Daisy Edgar-Jones, at one time tapped to play Elizabeth Bennet, had turned down the role having been sent the scripts. It’s thought the series is going to be a high-end and expensive British period drama that’s faithful to the original material. Deadline stressed at the time that the project was still in early development and not yet officially greenlit.
Since then, the project has been gaining steam behind the scenes and is moving forward with a summer 2025 shoot planned for the United Kingdom. Cameras could begin rolling from July.
Variety also added that Jack Lowden is in talks to play Mr. Darcy. The Emmy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA-nominated actor has rocketed to fame thanks to Apple TV’s Slow Horses, in addition to roles in Dunkirk and Mary Queen of Scots.
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Credit Image: © Brett Cove/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire
Writing the new series is Everything I Know About Love creator Dolly Alderton, who was attached to the project early on with Gentleman Jack and Last Tango in Halifax producer Lookout Point behind the project.
Will Johnston (Happy Valley, Les Misérables, and Renegade Nell) and Lisa Osborne (Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, Becoming Elizabeth) are reportedly tapped to produce, and we’re told that celebrated BAFTA-winning director Euros Lyn is on board to direct. He’s worked on many shows and movies over the years, including His Dark Materials, Torchwood, Doctor Who, and, of course, Netflix’s award-winning Heartstopper series, in which he directed all of seasons 1 and 2.
Wait, hasn’t Netflix done Pride and Prejudice before, I hear you asking!? The answer is yes. Persuasion is the only adaptation that’s currently streaming, starring Richard E. Grant and Dakota Johnson. That iteration was largely panned by critics and audiences. Netflix was also developing another iteration back in the early 2020s called The Netherfield Girls with Maitreyi Ramakrishnan tapped to star. That project is considered to be shelved. Finally, the remix of the Jane Austen novel (titled Pride) by Ibi Zoboi was announced to be in the works late last year at Netflix following initial development at HBO. It’s being developed as a movie, and Karen Joseph Adcock is adapting the script.
Netflix’s iteration is in addition to all the other prior Jane Austen adaptations, such as the 1995 BBC mini-series starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth and the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.
Netflix isn’t publicly commenting on the project, but we suspect we’ll hear more shortly.
While waiting for an official confirmation, you may want to read our dream cast published soon after the news came out late last year. Are you looking forward to Netflix’s new Pride & Prejudice series? Let us know in the comments.
