Daisy Edgar‑Jones leads new 'Sense and Sensibility' adaptation

A new television adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility has been announced, featuring Daisy Edgar‑Jones and Esmé Creed‑Miles as the Dashwood sisters. The production is positioned as a distinct reinterpretation rather than a remake of Ang Lee’s 1995 film, with the creators emphasizing that the story will explore the novel’s themes in a contemporary, more subdued tone. The adaptation is described as “down‑beat and ruminative,” set in a “cloudier” atmosphere that omits the celebratory wedding finale of earlier versions.

The plot follows the Dashwood family after Mrs. Dashwood’s husband dies, leaving the sisters and their mother to relocate from a Sussex estate to the modest Barton Cottage in Devon when the property passes to the stepson, John Dashwood. The series aims to portray the financial and romantic challenges faced by the sisters, with the new cast portraying the characters as close‑knit university friends sharing a flat in London before the family’s displacement. The production team has highlighted that the new actors bring a fresh dynamic to the roles originally played by Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, and that the adaptation will focus on the sisters’ emotional journeys rather than the original novel’s comedic elements.

The project has been announced by the network’s programming division, which stated that the adaptation seeks to “re‑invent the classic for a next‑generation audience.” While the series is still in pre‑production, the announcement has generated interest among fans of Austen adaptations who are curious to see how the new cast and setting will reinterpret the beloved story.