Victoria and Poldark creators to make ‘darker’ Pride and Prejudice adaptation for ITV

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that everyone loves a good Jane Austen adaptation
Iconic scene: Colin Firth starred as Mr Darcy in the 1995 adaptation of Pride &Prejudice
BBC

Mammoth Screen, the makers of Poldark and Victoria, are set to reimagine Jane Austen’s best-known novel Pride and Prejudice, but with a darker ‘tone’.

With no fewer than five British TV adaptations of the classic, not to mention films, novels, spin-offs and even a zombie version, the company hopes that focusing on Austen’s “dark intelligence” will make their production unique.

Damien Timmer, Mammonth’s managing director told Radio Times: “In this age of the box set – with audiences loving to binge on complex, serialised dramas – it feels absolutely right to reassess the great classics. Every generation needs its own adaptation of this perfect novel.”

He also revealed that Nina Raine, who will be the writer charged with adapting Pride and Prejudice for ITV, has never seen any of the other interpretations.

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"[Raine is] a devoted fan of the book, but she’s never seen any previous adaptations – so pleasingly the novel only exists in her imagination,” he said.

The upcoming series will be Raine’s first TV adaptation. The writer is the brains behind Consent, the play which opened earlier this year at the National Theatre.

She explained that in her view Pride and Prejudice is “actually a very adult book, much less bonnet-y than people assume”.

Arguably the most popular and best-known adaptation of the novel is the 1995 BBC production starring Colin Firth as Mr Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth.

Others include the 2005 film version with Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies with Lily James.

An air date for the new series has yet to be confirmed but according to reports it could arrive on ITV in 2020.

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