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It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good fortune must surely be in want of a… dog?
What Jane Austen would have made of this is anyone’s guess.
But these exclusive pictures show Emma Corrin for the first time as Elizabeth Bennet in Netflix’s new production of Austen’s Pride And Prejudice – and they suggest The Crown star is taking the character’s sharp wit and independent spirit to heart.
Emma, in period costume and curly wig, was seen cuddling beloved dog Spencer between takes on set – proving, just as in the novel, that important relationships can take many forms.
The star was later spotted on a rooftop looking even less like a Georgian heroine, laughing with Freya Mavor, who plays Elizabeth Bennet’s sister Jane, and eating a banana.
Emma also appeared to grimace with trepidation while gingerly descending some scaffolding.
The 29-year-old, who won plaudits playing a young Princess Diana in The Crown, is often seen walking Spencer near their home in Margate and in north London, where the actor shared a £5million home with Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar winner Rami Malek, 44.
But like Lizzy Bennet, the star’s love life has become tangled, splitting with Malek earlier this year and now said to be dating Zachary Hart, who appeared with Emma on stage in a production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull.
The hotly anticipated adaptation of Austen’s 1813 novel is also set to star Slow Horses actor Jack Lowden as eligible Mr Darcy and Olivia Colman as Emma’s determined mother Mrs Bennet.
Other star names released by Netflix include Rufus Sewell as Mr Bennet and Killing Eve’s Fiona Shaw as Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
Sadly for some, Jack Lowden will not replicate Colin Firth’s famous scene from the 1995 TV adaptation, which saw him emerge dripping wet from a lake – getting female viewers’ hearts racing.
This year marks 250 years since Austen’s birth. The six-part Netflix series, written by Dolly Alderton, will be on screens early next year.
However, Netflix recently sparked uproar after releasing a first look at the casting for the new Pride & Prejudice series – with some fans now threatening to boycott it altogether.
On Friday, Netflix shared a picture on social media of the Bennet women on set.
‘We know you’ve been yearning for a sneak peek. Pride & Prejudice is officially in production,’ the post read.
‘Here’s a first look featuring Emma Corrin, Freya Mavor, Olivia Colman, Hopey Parish, Rhea Norwood and Hollie Avery as the Bennet women.’
But fans immediately rushed to the comments to express their distaste at the prospect as one wrote: ‘Not to self: unsubscribe from Netflix immediately, today,’ someone wrote.
‘This casting is awful what the f**k,’ another added.
‘You cannot be serious,’ someone else said.
‘Oh help… praying this isn’t a cock up like Persuasion.
‘Actually scratch that… this is a reminder to me to unsubscribe,’ another shared.
Other members of the cast include Jamie Demetriou as Mr Collins, Daryl McCormack as Mr Bingley, and Louis Partridge as Mr Wickham, per Variety.
More actors include Rhea Norwood as Lydia Bennet and Siena Kelly as Caroline Bingley, while Hopey Parish and Hollie Avery are making their acting debuts as Mary Bennet and Kitty Bennet respectively.
The director and screenwriter of Heartstopper, Euros Lyn and Dolly Alderton, respectively, are taking on the series.
‘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,’ Alderton said in a statement, per the outlet.
‘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.’
The limited series will finish filming in the UK at the end of 2025, per What’s On Netflix.
