Do We Really Need Another ‘Sense and Sensibility'? Critics Say Georgia Oakley's 2026 Version Mostly Works

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 playing Elinor Dashwood in a new feature for Focus Features.

The review embargo has lifted on Oakley’s “Sense & Sendibility,” and although it won’t move any Oscar predictions, critics are positive with this version — 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 73 on Metacritic.

For the uninitiated, Austen's 1811 debut follows the Dashwood sisters: reserved Elinor and impulsive, romantic Marianne. After their father's death leaves them nearly penniless, they're forced out of their Sussex estate and into a modest cottage, where both fall hard and get their hearts tested. Esmé Creed-Miles ("Hanna") plays Marianne opposite Edgar-Jones, with Caitríona Balfe as the Dashwood matriarch and Bodhi Rae Breathnach as youngest sister Margaret. George MacKay plays Edward Ferrars, Frank Dillane is John Willoughby, and Herbert Nordrum ("The Worst Person in the World") takes on Colonel Brandon.

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)?

“Sense and Sensibility,” Oakley’s take, is set to hit theaters October 16, 2026 via Focus Features.