Apparently, we haven’t had enough of “Sense & Sensibility.” Georgia Oakley, coming off the quiet indie success of “Blue Jean,” is taking a swing at Jane Austen’s oft-adapted classic, with Daisy Edgar-Jones set to play Elinor Dashwood in a new feature for Focus Features. Production begins next month in the UK.
Look, this isn’t some sacred cow, but let’s not pretend Ang Lee didn’t already get this one just about perfect back in 1995 — Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, that Patrick Doyle score — it was lightning in a bottle. That version was a critical and box office hit, and it actually felt cinematic. Why keep chasing it?
This one has a script by Australian author Diana Reid (“Love & Virtue”), and Oakley certainly has some heat after “Blue Jean” picked up awards at Venice and the British Independent Film Awards. However, another Austen adaptation, again with Focus, who already did this dance with Pride & Prejudice (2005) and Emma (2020)?
Also worth noting: Netflix is kicking off production on their “Pride & Prejudice” series in the UK next month, too. So, if you’re keeping count, that’s two major Austen adaptations in motion at the exact same time. Do we really need more Austen on screen? Or have we just run out of other British IPs to plunder?
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.