Though Hollywood is not in danger of losing its love for period dramas any time soon, there’s often a push these days to give it a bit of a twist. Thank heavens, then, that Nora Ephron and Sony have, of all places, ITV to turn to for a new project. Because the writer/director is now busy adapting 2008 miniseries Lost in Austen for the big screen.
The series – written by Guy Andrews – followed Amanda Price (Jemima Rooper), a lifelong Jane Austen fan who finds her mundane London reality suddenly swapping places with her favourite author’s storyline from Pride and Prejudice. After discovering that a small door in her flat leads to Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton)’s world, the two women trade places, only to find that the switch makes things more complicated for both of them.
Naturally, Ephron plans to switch the setting to New York, but with Sam Mendes on board as a producer, we’ll be hoping it maintains the requisite decorum. There’s no word on when it’ll get started, but Ephron will be behind the camera as usual. The film may find itself overlapping a bit with the similarly themed Austenland, wherein Keri Russell plays a modern girl given tickets to an Austen-style immersive holiday, complete with Mr Darcy type (JJ Feild). That's directed by Jerusha Hess, and based on Shannon Hale's novel.