Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Custom of the Country’ Collapsed at Apple, Reemerges as Feature Film Starring …Sydney Sweeney?

Sofia Coppola’s long-gestating, and suddenly canceled, adaptation of “The Custom of the Country” has undergone a major transformation, and not for the better.

Florence Pugh was originally attached to star in Coppola’s planned adaptation, which would have followed a young woman determined to infiltrate Gilded Age high society. The project had been set up at Apple, which initially greenlit the project before ultimately pulling the plug, reportedly due to the high cost of production — lavish costumes, large-scale sets, and extensive location work.

Rather than disappearing entirely, this Edith Wharton adaptation has now reappeared and, again, been greenlit. Instead of Pugh, Sydney Sweeney is set to star in the new version, which will be directed by Josie Rourke (”Mary Queen of Scots”) instead of Coppola.

The story centers on an ambitious Midwestern woman who arrives in New York City at the turn of the 20th century, determined to claw her way into the upper echelons of high society, using charm, strategy, and sheer will to transcend her modest origins and secure wealth, status, and influence in a world rigidly defined by class and privilege.

By most accounts, Coppola’s version was fully developed; Apple had gone as far as a greenlight, which meant finished script, agreed-upon budget, and production plans had already been in place. This wasn’t a vague pitch or early development situation — many, including, myself believed it was a cinch to enter production.

Where it stalled was after the numbers were firmly locked in. Once the real costs appeared, Apple, who don’t mind burning cash away, were somehow shocked by the budget, and ultimately pulled back before cameras rolled.

So, Sweeney has now come in as a producer, securing the rights to the book and steering the project toward a more streamlined feature-film adaptation—one that trades the scale of a prestige series for a leaner, more manageable production while keeping Edith Wharton’s sharp social satire firmly intact.

Now, I do like Sweeney, but stuffing her in period costume, corset included, with a turn-of-the-century New York accent strikes me as miscasting.