More than two centuries after her death, Jane Austen is one of the most adapted authors of all time, her life and novels dramatised for film and television from every angle imaginable. Despite the plethora of Pride and Prejudice adaptations, Netflix is making its own version, starring Emma Corrin, Jack Lowden and Olivia Colman.
Sense and Sensibility is being rehashed too, with Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor Dashwood. On the small screen, the BBC released the hit documentary Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius alongside an adaptation of Gill Hornby’s novel Miss Austen that centres on Austen’s sister Cassandra (plus a forthcoming sequel). A dramatisation of Janice Hadlow’s novel The Other Bennet Sister which takes up the story of Mary, the dowdy younger sister of Lizzy, has also commenced filming.
Emma got a smart and entertaining do-over in 2020 starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the arrogant but well-meaning matchmaker. And of course Carrie Cracknell’s Persuasion got its Fleabag moment in 2022 starring Dakota Johnson as a wine-swigging heartbroken Anne Elliot whispering acerbic asides to the audience.
