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A Netflix series based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is reportedly in development with Everything I Know About Love author, Dolly Alderton.
Whether you’re a die-hard Jane Austen fan (and can definitively rank the actors who have played Mr Darcy over the years), or poured over her novels at school, we can’t help but feel “incandescently happy” at the thought of a new series in the works.
After all, “we are all fools in love” and no one arguably more so than self-confessed Agony Aunt, Alderton, whose Millennial musings on romance, love and dating make her the perfect author to bring the enemies-to-lovers storyline of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet back to life.
The announcement comes nearly 30 years after the iconic BBC series starring Colin Firth as Mr Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet first aired, and nearly 20 years after the Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen remake ignited the still-burning Mr Darcy-related debate.
No stranger to Austen adaptations, Netflix’s previous historical romance Persuasion, starring Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot, was lauded for its relatable dialogue on unrelenting singledom, but left fans wanting when it came to comedic intent. No doubt Alderton’s adaptation will quell the Austen-shaped hole in the streaming giant’s repertoire, with her wit and astutely self-aware observations on romance and love finding familiar territory in the novel’s thematic nuances.
The official cast of the upcoming TV series is yet to be confirmed as the script is still in development, according to Deadline, but with a name like Alderton taking the lead, there’s sure to be confirmation on the horizon.
Let’s hope whoever plays Mr Darcy can rival Firth’s sideburn game, and also pull off a soaking wet shirt.
