Dakota Johnson stars in Netflix’s retelling of Jane Austen’s novel ‘Persuasion’.
Carrie Cracknell, known for directing Jake Gyllenhaal in “Sea Wall / A Life” on Broadway, gets behind the camera in her feature film debut. Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow adapted the screenplay.
Described as a “modern, witty approach” to a much-loved tale, “Persuasion” tells the story of Anne Elliot, a stubborn woman who lives on the brink of bankruptcy with her snobbish family. Unmarried and 27 years old, Anne reconnects with a man she once wanted to turn down and gets a second chance at love.
‘Persuasion’ was the last novel written by Austen, the author of literary classics such as ‘Sense and Sensibility’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Emma’, prior to her death in 1817. The property has been filmed numerous times. , including the 2007 TV movie starring Sally Hawkins.
Production of “Persuasion” is expected to start in May. MRC Film, the production company that supported “Knives Out” and “The Lovebirds”, is co-developing the film with Netflix. Variety parent company PMC is a partner with MRC in the PMRC company that owns Billboard, Vibe and the Hollywood Reporter.)
Andrew Lazar and Christina Weiss Lurie will serve as producers. Executive producers include Elizabeth Cantillon through her unnamed label MRC Film Romance, Michael Constable and David Fliegel.
Johnson recently co-starred with Jason Segel and Casey Affleck in the drama “Our Friend.” She will next appear in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter” and Stephanie Allynne and Tig Notaro’s “Am I OK?”
Johnson is represented by WME and Untitled Entertainment. Cracknell is represented by United Agents in the UK and UTA.