Dakota Johnson is cast in another adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion

A second adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel Persuasion is in the works at Netflix, with actress Dakota Johnson tapped to play heroine Anne Elliot, a woman who is suddenly faced with the love of her life that she rejected many years before.

Austen’s Persuasion was first published in 1817, six months after her death. Anne Elliot is fully equipped to deal with her self-centered sisters and her family’s financial fall from grace. What she’s not expecting is for the man she once loved but was persuaded to abandon to show up in her neighborhood. He’s now wealthy and successful – and barely spares her a glance.

Persuasion is different from Austen’s other novels, partially in that its heroine is 27 years old, making her past her prime by Regency-era standards. It’s a tale of unrequited love and regrets and has a melancholy that isn’t present in Austen’s other works.

Johnson, the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, is best known for her work in the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy. She has also had roles in The Social Network, 21 Jump Street, Suspiria, The Peanut Butter Falcon, and The High Note.

The script is being written by Ron Bass, who previously wrote My Best Friend’s Wedding and Rain Man, and Alice Victoria Winslow. Winslow, who will be making her feature debut with this script, celebrated on Twitter.

Persuasion will mark Carrie Cracknell’s directorial debut. Cracknell is a theatre director, best known for her Broadway production of Sea Wall/A Life with Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge.

The previous best-known adaptations of Persuasion are the 1995 made-for-TV movie with Amanda Root and Ciarán Hinds and the 2007 ITV film starring Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones.

This upcoming adaptation is described as a “modern, witty approach to a beloved story.” Adapting a book in which the character considers herself as having missed her chance at romance at the age of 27 to a modern setting certainly can present some challenges.

Interestingly enough, this is the second Persuasion film currently in development. Another adaptation by Searchlight is being directed by Mahalia Belo with a screenplay by Summerland writer Jessica Swale. Succession star Sarah Snook will play Anne Elliot with Game of Thrones alum Joel Fry as her Captain Wentworth.

This is hardly the first time that Hollywood will have two similar films releasing around the same time, but it’s a strange coincidence to have two adaptations of the same lesser-known Jane Austen novel in the works at the same time.

Do you prefer modern or period adaptations of Jane Austen novels? Are you more excited for the Sarah Snook or Dakota Johnson film? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.