Meet the new Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy for the upcoming Pride & Prejudice series!
The works of Jane Austen have been fodder for movie and TV producers for decades. Every generation has grown up on her groundbreaking stories of strong female characters, lush romance and the inspiration for countless period TV shows.
Netflix is now getting into this with a six-episode new limited series based on Austen’s masterpiece Pride & Prejudice. The project has been teased for a while, but now Deadline has reported on the casting of the key leads, and it’s amazing!
Per Deadline, Emma Corrin, last seen in the acclaimed Nosferatu, will play Elizabeth Bennett, the heroine of the tale. Jack Lowden, known for his turn in the Apple TV+ spy show Slow Horses, will play her romantic foil Mr. Darcy.
Not only that, but Academy Award winner Olivia Colman returns to TV to play Mrs. Bennett. The project is being adapted by Dolly Alderton and directed by Euros Lyn, with Corrin also serving as executive producer with Lynn, Laura Lankester, Will Johnston, and Louise Mutter.
Emma Corrin, Jack Lowden, Olivia Colman will star in a new Pride and Prejudice adaptation — a six-part limited series written by Dolly Alderton. pic.twitter.com/rVfqFc5nSM
— Netflix (@netflix) April 10, 2025
Alderton shared a statement on how it feels to bring the story to life once more.
“Once in a generation, a group of people get to retell this wonderful story, and I feel very lucky that I get to be a part of it. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is the blueprint for romantic comedy – it has been a joy to delve back into its pages to find both familiar and fresh ways of bringing this beloved book to life. With Euros Lyn directing our stellar cast, I am so excited to reintroduce these hilarious and complicated characters to those who count Pride and Prejudice as their favourite book, and those who are yet to meet their Lizzie and Mr Darcy.”
There are still many roles to be cast, but these three leads alone show that this new version of Pride & Prejudice will be worthy of its predecessors!
Why this casting works so well
Published in 1813, Austen’s second novel follows the Bennett family, which has five daughters. Since, by law, only a male can inherit the estate, the girls are pressured to get married. Elizabeth is a strong and independent woman who forgoes love until she meets the dashing Mr. Darcy and their initial mistrust gives way to attraction.
The book is hailed among Austen’s best works with its takes on manners, social structure and class. It has been adapted several times, such as in a 1940 movie with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier and a 2005 film starring Kiera Knightley.
Probably the best-known and acclaimed adaptation is the 1995 BBC mini-series with Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth and Colin Firth in his star-making turn as Mr. Dracy, whose afternoon swim scene became a highlight.
The casting proves the series is already off to a good start. Corrin is great at period dramas, able to handle the style and language and the sass and appeal for Elizabeth. Lowden is the perfect mix of handsome and humorous as Darcy and should be able to show the true heart underneath the man’s brash exterior. Colman, of course, is magnificent in any program, so should spark up the role of Mrs. Bennett nicely.
There’s still more casting to come on the other Bennett sisters and such. However, having the right actors for these two lovers is a sign that this Pride & Prejudice may be one of the best versions yet of a classic tale.
Pride & Prejudice premieres on Netflix in 2026.