Everything you need to know about Netflix's adaptation of 'Persuasion', starring Dakota Johnson
Dakota Johnson is set to portray Jane Austen's most mature lead character in a new adaptation of Persuasion, the author's final completed novel.
After 2020's Emma and countless imaginings of Pride and Prejudice, it's not surprising that there is an insatiable demand for Austen adaptations. Here, find everything we know about the Dakota Johnson Persuasion film.
Persuasion will premiere on Netflix this summer
An exact release date has finally been confirmed for this long-anticipated adaptation. Persuasion will premiere on Netflix on 15 July 2022, following a production that started last May. Netflix just released the first trailer, which you can watch above, which features Johnson's Anne breaking the fourth wall.
It was filmed near Jane Austen's one-time home
Johnson was spotted on set in Bath last spring. It's only fitting that Persuasion was shot there — Austen lived in Bath from 1801 to 1806. In the first photo, Johnson can be seen wearing a grey, long-sleeved period costume with a matching hat. She stands alongside co-star, Nikki Amuka-Bird, who sports a striking pink dress.
In the second image, Johnson was spotted kissing, presumably, her Captain Wentworth, played by Cosmo Jarvis. Johnson wears a long, blue dress while her suitor sports a top hat.
Netflix has released first-look images of the film
"With period pieces, I’m always interested in there being a connection between then and now," director Carrie Cracknell explains. "I think period films often teach you as much about the moment they were made in as they do the moment that they’re replicating, somehow."
Dakota Johnson will star as heroine Anne Elliot
Johnson, best known for the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, will play Austen's older, quietly intellectual protagonist. Anne Elliot is characterised by her maturity and dissatisfaction with her surroundings. The novel revolves around Anne's reconnection with Captain Frederick Wentworth, her former fiancé whom she left due to societal pressures. Anne must reevaluate both herself in her more mature phase and her relationship with her former suitor.
Henry Golding joined the cast
The Crazy Rich Asians star will also feature in Persuasion. According to Deadline, Golding is slated to play Mr. Elliot, "the callous and classic Austen foil". In the novel, William Elliot is a distant relative of Anne's and heir presumptive of Anne's father. He is cold and calculating, scheming his way into inheriting the Elliot title and property.
Cosmo Jarvis, Richard E. Grant, Suki Waterhouse, and Nikki Amuka-Bird will also appear in the film
Model and actress Suki Waterhouse (The Divergent Series: Insurgent), Oscar nominee Richard E. Grant (The Iron Lady, Can You Ever Forgive Me?), and BAFTA nominee Nikki Amuka-Bird (of Zadie Smith's NW) all joined the Persuasion cast.
Cosmo Jarvis, best known for his role in 2016's Lady Macbeth and for playing Barney in Peaky Blinders' fifth season, will play Anne Elliot's love interest, Captain Frederick Wentworth.
Ben Bailey Smith, who played Doc Brown in The Split, Izuka Hoyle (The Outpost), Mia McKenna-Bruce (Get Even), and Nia Towle (The Hollow) will also appear in the feature.
The story will have a somewhat modern twist
This Persuasion is set to be reimagined with a “modern, witty approach.” However, given that the cast was photographed in period costumes, viewers should not expect a completely updated storyline. This doesn't seem to be a Clueless (based on Emma) or Bridget Jones's Diary (based on Pride and Prejudice), but the dialogue may be updated for this "modern" feel.
According to Deadline, "In this version of Persuasion, Anne Elliot is an unconforming woman with modern sensibilities, living with her snobby family who is on the brink of bankruptcy. When Frederick Wentworth—the dashing one she once sent away—crashes back into her life, Anne must choose between putting the past behind her or listening to her heart when it comes to second chances."
Carrie Cracknell, who directed Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge last year Sea Wall/A Life on Broadway, will make her film directing debut with Persuasion.
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