The CW Is Working On A Modernised Jane Austen Anthology Series
If there are two things you wouldn’t think would fit together, it’s The CW, home of superheroes, aliens and vampires, and the works of Jane Austen… However, the US network has revealed they are working on an anthology series based around her classic literature, and it might not be quite as bonkers as it first sounds!
Titled ‘Modern Austen’, the one-hour series would reimagine Austen’s novels with a modern updated twist, offering a kaleidoscopic look at love and family in our time of inequality and disconnection. Each season would be based on a different novel, beginning with the classic ‘Pride and Prejudice’, but shifting the story to contemporary San Francisco.
Whilst we’ve seen a lot of straight tv and film adaptations of Austen’s work recently including ‘Emma’, ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’, modernising Austen is not a new thing. For example, ‘Clueless’ (which is also returning to tv soon) was an adaptation of ‘Emma’, and ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ is a modern retelling of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, but there have been many, many, more. Due to her universal subject matter of dysfunctional families, love, loss, and morality, Austen’s work still resonates with people today, and, much like Shakespeare, can be transposed to modern settings whilst still maintaining the essence of the story.
The series comes from writer/EP Eleanor Burgess, who most recently worked on HBO’s adaptation of ‘Perry Mason’. However, she also has a strong background as a playwriter, with stage dramas focused on the various trials of the younger generation. Stephanie Allain (‘Dear White People’, ‘Hustle & Flow’) is also set to exec produce through her company Homegrown Pictures, who will produce the drama alongside Warner Bros TV.
At the moment, ‘Modern Austen’ is still only “in development”, so may not go to series, but we’ll let you know if and when we hear more.
