Daisy Edgar-Jones to Star as Elinor Dashwood in New 'Sense & Sensibility'

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen adaptations come in generational waves. In the 1990s, notable adaptations included Andrew Davies' definitive Pride & Prejudice miniseries, Gwyneth Paltrow's Emma, the Ciaran Hines-Amanda Root adaptation of Persuasion, and the Emma Thompson-Kate Winslet adaptation of Sense & Sensibility. In the late aughts, we got a Pride & Prejudice big-screen adaptation with Keira Knightley, followed by a set of TV miniseries for all of Austen's other finished works, all penned by Davies. Since 2019, when Davies tackled Austen's unfinished work, Sanditon, we've been in a slow-motion revival that now brings a new big-screen Sense & Sensibility.

As fans of Austen's debut all know, the family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex, making this story Austen's most ensemble-based romance, even if this family is only three sisters instead of five. Indeed, Sense & Sensibility readers essentially fall into two camps: the Elinor and Edward fans and the Marianne and Brandon fans. (Austen wrote it under the working title "Elinor & Marianne," more proof both stories were equal in her mind, as well as their relationship being the one that mattered above all others.)

That being said, as the eldest Dashwood sister, Elinor is considered the lead (Emma Thompson played her in the 1995 film), and this new big screen adaptation leads with her casting. Elinor Dashwood will be played by Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People), adding her to the current class of Austen heroines, including Rose Williams (Charlotte Heywood in Sanditon), Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma in Emma), Dakota Johnson (Anne Elliot in Netflix's deeply unfortunate Persuasion), and Emma Corrin (Lizzie Bennet in Netflix's forthcoming Pride & Prejudice remake).