It’s no secret around here that I’m a fan of any Jane Austen adaptation. I will watch any film, miniseries or TV movie based on Jane Austen’s books. The Pride and Prejudice adaptations are probably the best known, but Sense and Sensibility has also gotten some great adaptations, as has Emma. But I honestly feel like Persuasion is perhaps Austen’s underrated gem. The story is complicated, especially with all of the Elliot family drama and the weird cousin who shows up mid-book, but at its heart, it’s a great story about a woman who is “past her prime” (for that period!!) getting a second chance to win the heart of a man she rejected when she was a dumb kid. Frederick Wentworth isn’t Darcy or Knightley, but a great actor can make a meal out of Wentworth, just as Anne Elliot is a wonderful role for an actress who is past her ingenue days. Well, Dakota Johnson has just been cast as Anne!! WHAT.
Dakota Johnson is set to star in Netflix’s retelling of Jane Austen’s novel “Persuasion.” Carrie Cracknell, known for directing Jake Gyllenhaal in “Sea Wall/ A Life” on Broadway, is stepping behind the camera in her feature directorial debut. Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow have adapted the screenplay.
Described as a “modern, witty approach” to a beloved story, “Persuasion” tells the story of Anne Elliot, an unconforming woman living with her snobby family on the brink of bankruptcy. Unmarried and 27-years-old, Anne reconnects with a man she was once persuaded to reject and faces a second chance at love. “Persuasion” was the last novel written by Austen, the author of literary classics like “Sense and Sensibility,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “Emma,” prior to her death in 1817. The property has been adapted for the screen numerous times, including the 2007 TV movie starring Sally Hawkins.
A separate production of “Persuasion” — starring “Succession” actor Sarah Snook — is currently in the works at Searchlight Pictures. That version, announced in September 2020, is being directed by Mahalia Belo and written by Jessica Swale (“Summerland”).
The Sally Hawkins version of Persuasion is SO GOOD. Rupert Penry-Jones is Wentworth and he broods very, very well. Great romantic lead! The Susan Fleetwood version with Ciaran Hinds as Wentworth is also a good version, but I’d recommend the Sally Hawkins version more. As for this Dakota Johnson casting… she’s too young and hot! It won’t work!! Because in the year 2021, 27-year-old women don’t worry about losing their one chance at love seven years beforehand. I’m against this modernization and I’m against Dakota’s casting! She’s too pretty and young.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.
Persuasion is my favourite Austen novel, I love it. It’s great that there’s not 1 but 2 adaptations in the works, maybe one of them will get it right.
Persuasion is my favorite Austen novel too, and one of my favorite books in general. Have you seen the version with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds? I loved it and thought it captured the mood of the book perfectly.
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Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds hands down. My all-time favourites, along with an amazing supporting cast.
Sigh. Love it.
That version is SO GOOD. I love it.
Saaammme. Ciaran Hinds can get it any time he wants.
the Amanda Root-Ciaran Hinds version is my favorite
I really don’t see Johnson in this role, I don’t think she has the chops for it
Co-sign on that version of Persuasion as well. They are both so heartbreaking on that movie.
ME TOO! It’s shocks the hell out of me that it isn’t a household name, like Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, et. al.
ETA: On the Persuasion part, I adore the Sally Hawkins version.
Same! Only slightly behind Pride and Prejudice for me. Almost a tie. And I LOVE the Amanda Root-Ciaran Hinds version. Dakota definitely too young looking, too sexy. But maybe they can tone her down? Anne needs to bloom.
I didn’t care for the Sally Hawkins version, but love the one with Amanda Root. The only way a modern version would work is with a women in her forties (or even fifties) who turned down a man years before because she was making a career.
I think one of the points of the novel is that Anne FEELS like a spinster, not that she actually is one. After all, her older sister is still expecting to get married (and Austen’s novels are full of older women getting married, from Emma’s Miss Taylor to P&P’s Charlotte Lucas). One of my favorite things about the story is Anne’s slow re-discovery of her attractiveness, as shown by the interest of the poetry-loving sailor and the creepy cousin. It’s a story about self-confidence, not an actual change in appearance. That might be an acting challenge for Johnson, but not a physical one.
Persuasion is my favorite as well. The Sally Hawkins version all day.
I’ll probably start this one when it’s available on Netflix but not finish it unless it’s outstanding.
Then I’ll go look up the Sally Hawkins version and rewatch that to cleanse my pallette and soothe the soul.
HA! We are twins.
Ugh, wayyy too young. But I’m more worried about her acting skills. Anne is not vapid.
I, too, worry about her acting skills. I have no doubt they can make her look the part. But, I do love any Austin adaptation.
I wish they would make a movie of “The Other Bennett Sister” – which follows the story Mary. I really enjoyed reading it and would live to see it on screen.
Never read that one! I’ll put it on my list.
Considering the plethortha of Austen continuations or reimagining out there, I would like there to be a story about Elizabeth Elliot’s character post-Persuasion. She’s vain and inconsiderate in Persuasion, but how would she reevaluate herself after having both her younger, “plainer” sisters having married before her? I remember thinking that, yes, she’s supposed to be very beautiful but why is she, Anne’s elder, not considered a hopeless spinster when Anne is? Is Elizabeth really as shallow as her father or is she just acting that way to please him?
@Coco – yes, Elizabeth is mini-me of her father – vain, sycophantic to those of a higher position in society and demeaning of those she considers lower. As I recall from the book, she had turned down a few suitors for being beneath her lofty ideals. She and her father are clearly not down with Anne’s unpretentious nature and merely tolerate her.
Dakota’s lips will carry her through, she will purse them.
She can’t act. Whyyyyy.
I agree. I like Dakota Johnson, but she’s not much of an actress.
She was actually quite good in The High Note and Bad Times At The El Royale. She and Tracee Ross Ellis had really nice chemistry in the former.
I think Suspiria is the only thing I’ve seen her in, but I loved her in that!
She was really good in The Five Year Engagement. Her part was small but she was great.
I wish they’d casted a British actor! The accent … I don’t see Dakota pulling that off.
I really enjoyed the PBS-ITV series Sanditon.
Sandition was an unfinished novel adapted for television by Andrew Davies from an unfinished manuscript by Jane Austen and starring Anne Reid, Rose Williams and Theo James.
Like Bridgerton it had a diverse cast and it was really good so I hope there is a second season.
Sandition was wonderful. I had never been a Theo James fan, but he was so good/hot/sexy in that role that I’d now rate him in my top ten. I don’t why he doesn’t get more work. I don’t think there will be a second season which is a shame.
Divergent may have been a bad choice for him. the first movie was good, I couldn’t finish the second. and based on the hot mess that was the third book, I didnt even bother with that movie.
There will be a second season, they announced it last month.
I loved Sanditon and was so sad to read that they are not bringing it back for season 2. If the comments here about a second season are true that has made my day
I am thrilled to hear about Sanditon season 2! Amazing! I’m throwing in my two cents for the Amanda Root/Ciaran Hinds Persuasion. I don’t know what it is about it, just find the production deeply satisfying and emotional.
I love persuasion. The Sally Hawkins one is great. I actually wanted to rewatch it the other day. I also came across a modern adaptation on Hulu the other day, but haven’t seen yet.
I agree that 27 is too young for a modern adaptation. It’s 2021, 27 isn’t old maid territory.
I’m kind of wondering if, when they say “modern, witty approach” they don’t actually mean set in modern times but done in a modern style kind of like the recent Emma?
Anyway that’s kind of what I’m hoping, I really loved the new Emma and if they’re doing another Austen film with that approach then great. Otherwise then I completely agree that 27 is too young if actually set in modern times.
(My faves are Sense & Sensibility ’95, Emma 2020, Death Comes to Pemberley ’13, Pride & Prejudice ’95, Clueless)
That’s what I thought. It said ‘approach’ not setting or times.
Persuasion is my favourite Austen. I didn’t like the Ciarin Hinds version at all though. I do like Dakota Johnson and I can see her doing a good Anne Elliot. I always saw Anne as pretty and dainty and gentle, just faded from disappointed love and living a dreary life with dreary people, worrying about money. But she blooms again! Lots of other truly interesting characters in that story to cast as well. I can easily see it being witty, but I don’t want to see it modernised out of recognition. I also can’t see Anne as unconforming, either, that puzzles me. I’d definitely watch it though.
Yes! It drives me crazy that people think Anne is plain. She was never plain, she had just ‘lost her bloom’ and she gets it back.
I can see Dakota physically in the part (honestly, just don’t put any blush or lipstick on her until she gets her bloom back and that will cover it). I have never heard her do an accent. She’s a decent actress who does subtlety well; I’m just unsure if she’s got it in her. We’ll see!
I’ve often wished for a modern version of Persuasion where Anne is in her 40’s or 50’s, as I think that would be closer to the original intent.
Same.
I agree. If there is to be a modern retelling the woman can’t realistically be 27 and feel she’s missed her chance. But really casting Dakota Johnson tells me they don’t understand the book at all. The modern Anne needs to be an introspective and shy character and they are using witty which isn’t part of Anne’s makeup at all. Not every Austen book is Elizabeth Bennett in a different location in England.
There’s a modern adaption on Hulu with an actress who’s in her 40s. Haven’t seen it yet, so I don’t know what her age is in the movie.
Can you give us the title? I want to watch it but I don’t have Hulu *wink*
@Cee It’s literally called “Modern Persuasion” lol. I looked it up and the reviews aren’t great, one said it felt like a Hallmark movie. But I’ll probably still watch it at some point.
Modern Persuasion. Star Alicia Witt, born in 1975, so definitely older. But the setup sounds corny. “A single woman focused on her career in New York is forced to deal with the aftermath of a failed relationship when an ex-boyfriend hires her company.” 48% on Rotten Tomatoes.
It’s probably not great but I take reviews of movies that are traditionally thought of as “chick flicks” with a grain of salt. Most of the reviews are by men who are predisposed to give them a mediocre review at best because …it’s a chick flick. Not saying it’s gonna be high art, but it may be a perfectly enjoyable and even well-acted movie.
That’s broadly what I came here to say. I could live with a modernisation but keeping her age the same just makes no sense.
Yep. Actress should be at LEAST 35-40 for a modern adaptation. Biological clock ticking determines when that feeling of “I better meet someone soon, it’s now or never” happens for women nowadays, not when the first bloom departs the youthful rose.
Yeah, 27 was old maid territory in the early 1800s, even in the 1950s or 1960s, but not now.
And I’m not sure how you get around refusing to allow a child to marry in this day and age. Fathers don’t have legal control over their 27-year-old daughters any more. A modern version would have to rely solely on Anne’s sense of familial guilt and obligation.
I think you could do something with familial guilt – Anne feeling like she needs to take care of her father or letting herself be persuaded out of marriage as it might not work out. If I recall, Wentworth being in the navy was considered a financial risk/unstable.
Maybe a modern version could have Anne having to move to another country to be with Wentworth, so there’s more cultural than social displacement at play. And Louisa Musgrave (sp) can be some upstart twenty something instagram influencer lol. Just go full Nancy Meyers with it.
@Malificent – Anne’s father didn’t refuse to let her marry Wentworth. It was her friend, the old lady who stood in for a mother after Anne’s mother died. Her friend convinced her that marrying Wentworth was too risky because he had no fortune and who knew if he ever would? Anne respected her so much that she allowed herself to be persuaded against what her heart wanted.
I misread that as “in the 40s or 50s” which would not be a bad way to set it more recently but still have the “old maid” part ring true. But then I thought, “Wait, that’s basically ‘The Notebook’ if you removed Gena Rowlands and James Garner.”
Oh see I haaaaated the Sally Hawkins version. I can’t stand her as an actress but I also thought they overdid it with Anne’s passiveness/martyr complex.
Honestly, though, this is better than Billie Piper as Fannie Price lol
Billie Piper WHAT?? I’m all over the books but clearly way behind on my screen adaptations.
Agree with you Nicole. I hated Sally Hawkins as Anne. That so-called kiss at the end was cringe-inducing. I felt so bad for Rupert Penry-Jones.
I’m with you! The Hawkins-sprint around Bath at the end is ridic. Give me Amanda Root-Ciaran Hinds anyday.
I loathed the Sally Hawkins version. Loathed it. That whole sequence of her running around Bath trying to find him reeked of Rom Com, which was totally inappropriate for the character in the first place. The cinematic version with Ciaran Hinds really got the mood of the novel right. The characters were more believable in that version.
You couldn’t pay me to watch the Sally Hawkins version again.
And I’m not optimistic about this new version…and yes, that Billie Piper version of Mansfield Park was horrible. There is an earlier BBC version that is better and even the cinematic version was better.
YES!!! I hated the end! And Sally Hawkins’ breathlessness. Drove me nuts! But I loved Rupert Penry-Jones and Tobias Menzies. If only Amanda Root had been in that one, it would be my favourite. Dakota Johnson…doesn’t sound promising TBH.
I like her, but “witty Persuasion” sounds just like “let’s just make her a slightly older Lizzie Bennett”, and that won’t work at all, would it?
But the costumes and the settings might be interesting to watch all the same.
I agree. There is a delicacy about Persuasion that I think would be lost in a modern version. Even though Anne comes across as a capable and strong woman for her day, as all of Austen’s main female characters do, it just wouldn’t translate well into a 21st century remake.
That’s what it sounds like to me. Persuasion is actually much more complex and as one of Austen’s later novels you really see her examine the issue of women being excluded from the normal activities and just being cast aside.
So much could be done in a modern adaptation but casting Dakota Johnson doesn’t give me confidence.
I guess I don’t understand how you do a “modern” version of Persuasion. The circumstances of the novel seem very set in that era.
You can definitely do it. The crux of the book is that a young woman is persuaded to turn down the man she loves because he is deemed to be her social inferior but never stops loving him and ends up regretting her decision and resenting her stupidly vapid and self-important family. He obviously resents her (because of his ego) but then realizes that she’s been punishing herself for it for the years since. And they have a second chance.
A modern version could be about a woman in her 40s, from a certain background, who was persuaded by her family to turn down the man she loved due to any of these reasons: he is poor, he is her inferior (class, money, politics, etc), different ethnicity, she was too young to marry (20 is very young), etc
Now I kind of wish there is a modern adaptation!
I mean, I guess I think a modern version would be kind of toothless though. A modern unmarried mature woman has far more options and scope for her life than Anne did.
I guess you’d have to push really hard on the “sacrificing her life in every way for her family”. So she also gives up on a career and other things too? But then how do you have her regain her life by marrying a guy?
I know plenty of women who put themselves last and are usually the caretakers in their family unit, especially after a mother passes away suddenly.
So I imagine Anne to be in her late 40s, the one who keeps the family together (she pays the bills, she solves their problems, etc) and she’s stuck in her mistake in turning Wentworth down, unable to form any type of relationship and move forward. Sure, she is employed and can be fulfilled in that area of her life, in being an Aunt to children born to narcissistic parents in loveless marriages, but she is still stuck in what she did: sacrificed her happiness because of her family, who keep treating her like an idiot and do not deserve her loyalty and love.
Wentworth can encompass so many different traits the modern Elliots would find repulsive. Society hasn’t changed much ie: Meghan Markle.
Can Dakota Johnson really play “woman in her late 40s” though? This casting doesn’t seem to work with that.
Make it about not wanting to marry someone of a different race because of family pressure and there are a ton of modern themes that could be drawn from it.
Or if Anne were African-American. There’s still a lot of pressure on black women to stay the family mainstay, put everyone else first, and conform to what the family thinks is her proper role.
Hmmm. I’m not a big fan of Dakota as an actress so i’m not sure about this.
It just sounds to me like they don’t really “get” Persuasion -being a 27 year old woman in 2021 is not the same thing as it was in 1817, they need to make her more like 40 or 50 like others have said, and just in general….Persuasion is so rooted in the times that I’m not sure it fully works as a modern retelling. Some Austen books really are just products of their time and it’s hard to update.
I am also a huge Jane Austen fan and try to watch all the adaptations, but it looks like I have opposite tastes to yours because I HATED the Sally Hawkins miniseries. It was genuinely distracting how awful she looked in how they chose to style her, and the run through Bath and super close-up, fish mouthed kiss that took an eon at the end were the absolute worst, and not even in a So Bad It’s Good Way. It’s also terrible that he what, buys Kellynch at the end? No. Just no.
And now let me stan for a moment over one of my top five Jane Austen adaptations (other 4 are 1995 P&P, Emma Thompson’s S&S, Clueless and 2009 Emma, if anyone cares). I would absolutely recommend the Ciaran Hinds/Amanda Root movie so much over the miniseries. It is almost perfect as far as Jane Austen adaptations go. I adore how understated the entire romance is. They basically play out the whole thing with looks and coded small talk civilities until you’re smacked in the face by the most romantic letter ever written in the history of literature at the end, and it’s just so beautiful and works so well. Amanda Root is a perfect Anne Elliot in that movie. She’s obviously older, has the delicate features, she’s never ugly but starts out the movie pale and sad and worn down looking, and subtly becomes more glowing and pretty as time goes on and she starts to recapture the romance. It’s genius. The only thing the movie gets wrong is her sister Elizabeth, who is supposed to be the most beautiful sister but is easily the worst out of the three of them.
This new one, I dunno. I think Dakota Johnson could work if the story works, because Anne isn’t supposed to be ugly, just not a teenager anymore and single at a point of her life when most other women her age are married. But it’s tricky to modernize Persuasion. And I don’t know what I think about this being a “witty adaptation” but then there is a lot of humor in Persuasion. I want to know who they’re casting as Wentworth.
My concern is also Wentworth – I will reserve judgment until we find out about him.
Maybe Tom Hardy could pull it off – it has to be someone rugged looking, no pretty boys.
@Jaded – I like Tom Hardy, but for the past several years he seems to have instructed his agent to only give him scripts where the character communicates mainly in grunts. Did you like “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?” Then you’ll love the new mashup starring Tom Hardy – “Caveman Persuasion.”
Coco—🤣🤣. Never have gotten the Hardy thing, and still don’t.
So I never was a huge Dakota fan (also: really NOT a fan of the shades of gray stuff) but she has slowly grown on me a bit. We watched that cancer movie with her this weekend (I think it’s called Our Friend) and she was shockingly great. She played a (spoiler alert) 30 something mother dying of ovarian cancer and she was really convincing. She didn’t overplay it, she doesn’t look all overfilled and Hollywoodish…I don’t know, I might be a low key Dakota fan.
Oh I’ve been waiting for this! Not sure about Dakota as Anne, she wouldn’t be my first choice but I’ll wait and see. My cousin and I like to fantasize that if we were the next merchant ivory productions we’d remake Persuasion lol. We love the Amanda Roots and Ciaran Hinds version. I’d be really excited to see a bearded ginger Hiddles as Captain Wentworth. I’m pretty sure he’d act circles around Dakota though. Anne would be trickier to cast, maybe Carey Mulligan? She’s got the depth for it.
Oh good call on Hiddles for Wentworth.
Needs to be a rugged sailor. I Love Tom, but he doesn’t look like an experienced sailor with years at sea and at war.
I’ve developed a soft spot for Dakota. She’s not the most versatile actress, but I like her personality IRL and I think she’s gorgeous. I don’t know if she’s right for this part, but I’m excited to see a modern adaptation!
I started reading it a few weeks ago but I’m really struggling to get through it. Very disappointed.
My second fav. Austin novel behind Pride and Prejudice. Seems like good casting. I love that novel.. its quiet and stays with you .. sort of like Anne Elliot. I hope they treat it well.
Dakota couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag, she has the appeal of a wet dish rag. A nepotism case if there ever was one.
Maybe she’ll ugly herself up and wear a prosthetic. And win an Oscar for it.
Anne is supposed to be pretty though.
Hard to top the 1995 version.
Amanda Root Nd Ciaran Hinds, so pure, I LOVE that version. I can find it at daily motion.
And Dakota , She looks too pretty. Maybe as Elizabeth, the Eldest sister she’d be ok.
I’m inclined to agree. This is not going to work. Will she try a British accent for this role? Though, she does have Chris to help in that department. I will watch it, because it is not just a well written novel. It is conscious art. And the ending is one of my favorites in literature.
I’m more interested in the upcoming version with Sarah Snook, and how the adapt having Wentworth not only having been initially rejected as her social inferior but also non-white in that era (actor Joel Fry).
Last year I listened to an audiobook version with Juliet Stevenson narrating and thought it was very well done.
Noooooo!!!!! This is ridiculous! Persuasion is my favourite Austen novel by far, although they are all gems. But Dakota Johnson? The version with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds was amazing, not only because of the excellent acting but the script was pretty much taken from the novel word for word, as was the the version of Pride & Prejudice with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth.
Please don’t sully the beautiful work and legacy of Jane Austen with someone so totally unsuited to the role.
Ooh, I love Persuasion. It’s my favourite Austen novel. I actually hated Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot. Amanda Root was perfect, I thought, and Ciaran Hinds…. phew. I’m here for Dakota Johnson – she’s got the kind of delicate features that Anne was supposed to have, and even if she can’t act, she’s got that calm demeanour that I think personifies Anne. If she murders an English accent, I’ll be having words, though.
I’m actually interested in Dakota taking this role. She has proven to be a better actress than she was given credit for (Peanut Butter Falcon, Susperia, Our Friend). I’m not sure how we are supposed to believe she is “homely” but I’m sure they will dial down her glow on screen.
I too love the Sally Hawkins version and just watched it again a few weeks ago.
She looks quite a bit like Amanda Root who was a very adorable Anne Elliot. I’ll wait to see who they cast for Wentworth and maybe see what she looks like in period dress before I can decide.
But Ciaran Hinds forever so…
Modern doesn’t mean it will be set in modern times, if they set it in the time it was written, it fits. I’d love to see Dakota in this, she’s a solid actress. I love all of Austen’s novels, Northanger Abbey probably the least, but still good enough. I’d take another Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility adaptation even if another Emma has JUST been released (with Anya Taylor-Joy). I just can’t get enough.
I quite like Dakota. She deserves better roles and to get free of her “50 shades” connection. People think she is a bad actress because of that movie but she is good when given an interesting story.
I wonder though I’d they will age her up? She is not old for today standards.
I haven’t read any Austen. I’m not sure it’s my cup of tea… I couldn’t really get into Bridgerton with all the quippy talking and fixation on gender roles. The talking may be more Shonda though but I digress. I appreciate how Dakota Johnson put Ellen in her place and I actually enjoy her as an actress. She was really good in Suspiria and Bad Times at the El Royale. She has a subdued, intense beauty that I think can be kind of compelling on screen. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
We’re in the middle of a GoT (yes, no shame) rewatch at home, and when Mance Rayder popped up on our screen yesterday, the first thing my mom said was “I loved him in Persuasion!”
Hearing about a new Austen version always brings me out in a nervous rash. Although I did enjoy the new Emma movie more than I thought I would. Persuasion is my favourite and the Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds version reigns supreme, for all of the reasons others have mentioned. What worries me about this version is the description of Anne Elliot as being an ‘unconforming woman’. The whole crux of the story is that Anne is too conforming. She complies with what her family and friends advise in terms of giving up Captain Wentworth, and she conforms with the idea of the good daughter, sister and friend after she has done so. The beauty of the story is that she is a truly good woman who finally gets her just reward.
The Amanda Root version is my favorite.
And while I loved RPJ as Wentworth in his version, I didn’t like Sally Hawkins as Anne. And I HATED the running and slobbery kiss at the end.
‘You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.’ God! Capt. Wentworth is my fantasy and Persuasion has always been my favourite Austen novel. I thought Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot was the worst cast Austen herione after Frances O’Connor as Fanny Price. Dakota might work well as Anne with her mild demeanour and her previous experience in roles as the timid mouse who blooms and comes into her own. I do wish they’d cast Emily Mortimer though. She’d make the perfect Anne Elliot if it’s set in modern times. Plus there’s no danger of butchering the accent.
Frances O’Connor was horribly miscast as Fanny Price – they ruined Mansfield Park (although I like Alessandro Nivola as Henry Crawford). Also have to say Billie Piper was also a terrible choice. Sally Hawkins ruined otherwise a near-perfect cast. They don’t seem to be great at casting Austen’s gentler/quieter heroines.
Just no. I love Persuasion, but she would ruin it.
Yay. I’ll gleefully watch both versions. Never enough Austin.
This casting makes me feel personally attacked.
How is Dakota Johnson considered too young to play a 27 yo? Her bio lists her as 31. Don’t know anything about her acting skills,and only know about her from that viral Ellen exchange ( didn’t see Grey movies or her other work) . She definitely reads as super contemporary but not sure if that is a problem of her acting ability. Also it’s described as an adaptation so may not even be a period piece set in Regency period. Could be interesting. I loved the film from the 90s so will definitely check out the one with Sally Hawkins.
The issue is that if this isn’t a period piece, describing a 27 year old woman as well past the age she is likely to marry is ludicrous. She’s only a reasonable age for the part if it is set in the age of the book. No one is saying Dakota can’t play a 27 year old – the issue is whether having the character be 27 makes sense in a modern adaptation.
No, no, no, I’m drawing a line here, for me, personally. I will happily wade into any and all remakes of Jane Austen, although I do have hard favorites. Persuasion is perfection, I can’t make room in my heart for anyone but Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones, in these roles. Also? Anthony Head. It’s perfect.
this girl CANNOT act to save herself. No no no no no. Please recast.
I’ll totally watch it ten times. I’ll watch/read any Austen work or Austen adaptation / fan fiction. I really like Dakota and think she’s someone who can downplay her beauty enough for the role plus I think she’s a good actress. I watched “How to be Single” on a plane and was surprised by her, she’s incredibly watchable. Also, it’s not like Anne Elliot is toe up in the book, she’s just kinda not living her best life and needs some perking up. I thought Sally Hawkins and Amanda Root were both great and I totally respect if you don’t love the casting choice here. I want to see the rest of the cast – like the horrible sister and the one who married into the Musgrove family and the dad.. OMG what if Jamie Dornan is cast as Wentworth?!? Ha!