Netflix has seen success with one Regency-era period drama, but can they do it again? This time, the streaming company is giving a Jane Austen classic a new spin.
Starring Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot, director Carrie Cracknell is making her feature debut with her version of the romance novel, Persuasion.
Netflix has released the official trailer for the upcoming period drama film and the trailer seems to prove some twists and turns and a decent amount of comedic relief among the trials and tribulations of finding true love during the Regency era.
Watch the official trailer for Persuasion
The trailer begins with a captivating line for viewers as Anne Elliot reveals, “I almost got married once.”
As the trailer progresses, viewers watch a variety of wonderful scenery and funny scenes surrounding the individual characters. It looks like Anne will find true love — though it may not be the man everyone expects it to be.
Taking a slightly modern turn with the classic story, Anne is frequently seen talking to the camera or giving knowing glimpses in a way to break the fourth wall, similar to how viewers watched Mille Bobby Brown in Enola Holmes.
Persuasion may not ring true of fan-favorite Pride & Prejudice, the trailer opens the door for many different takes on the original novel.
The plot of Jane Austen’s Persuasion
Persuasion follows Anne Elliot and her longing for love. She found love once in Captain Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis) but was convinced to give up on the relationship as he wasn’t from a wealthy family.
Anne doesn’t get much of a reprieve from her feelings from her family as she is surrounded by her self-obsessed father, Sir Walter Elliot (Richard E. Grant), older sister Elizabeth (Yolanda Kettle), and her younger but married, albeit a little selfish, sister Mary (Mia McKenna-Bruce). Her greatest friend is Lady Russell (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Anne’s late mother’s best friend, but also the person who convinced her not to marry Wentworth.
When Captain Wentworth does return, Anne wonders if the two will have another chance to be together — but she’s also gaining attention from another man (Henry Golding) who is after her affection and offering her a wealthy future.
Although it’s not uncommon to see romances end and come back in Regency-era dramas, this story features a Jane Austen slow-burn romance with a love that’s been burning for eight years, surely leaving fans wanting a romantic resolution.
Persuasion premieres July 15, 2022, on Netflix.