The screenwriter behind Georgia Oakley’s 2026 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility has opened up about the challenges of reimagining Jane Austen for a new generation — and why the author’s work keeps inviting new interpretations more than two centuries on.
Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor Dashwood (Credits: Focus Features)
Diana Reid, the Australian novelist behind Love & Virtue and Seeing Other People, penned the screenplay for the new film, which stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor Dashwood and Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne. The adaptation released in the UK on September 25, 2026 and in the US on October 16, 2026, earning generally positive reviews.
The Sister Bond Over the Love Story
Reid grew up watching the beloved 1995 Ang Lee version, for which Emma Thompson won an Oscar for her screenplay. When first pitched the idea of a new interpretation, she admitted she wasn’t sure it could be done given the earlier film’s success.
But returning to Austen’s 1811 novel, she found the emotional core she felt hadn’t fully been said on screen: the love story between the Dashwood sisters themselves. Elinor’s restraint versus Marianne’s impulsive passion — and how the two temperaments help each sister grow — became the film’s spine. Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles, who previously worked together on 2018’s Pond Life, drew on their real friendship to ground the bond.
Why Austen Endures: ‘Almost Like Shakespeare’
Reid argues that Austen’s adaptability rivals that of Shakespeare’s. Her stories, characters and dialogue carry universal themes about patriarchal society, inheritance, economic precarity and personal worth that remain as relevant — if not more so — today as when they were written.
That timelessness is reflected in the new film’s ensemble: Caitriona Balfe, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, George MacKay and Fiona Shaw round out a cast that brings Austen’s world of romantic uncertainty, class pressure and sisterly devotion to life. Produced by Working Title Films with a $25 million budget, the 132-minute period drama has grossed $18.5 million at the box office so far.
Two Adaptations, Side by Side
Critics have praised Oakley’s version as a fresh, naturalistic take that doesn’t try to replace the 1995 classic — instead letting it stand alongside it. For a story about two sisters learning from each other, perhaps two beloved adaptations learning from each other is exactly right.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
