Succession star Sarah Snook has been cast in the lead role of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, an upcoming adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel.
Sarah Snook will portray the protagonist, Anne Elliot, who must endure a series of romantic challenges in this period drama. Elliot is a woman who, “many years after refusing the proposal of young naval officer Frederick Wentworth, finds herself navigating the waters of English society when Wentworth returns from war a wealthy and decorated captain,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. Snook’s character is likely to feel emotions of regret and possibly even the pitfalls of unrequited love.
In 2018, Snook began portraying Siobhan Roy in the HBO satirical comedy-drama series Succession, leading her to receive a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2020.
Snook’s previous cinematic credits include Sisters of War, Not Suitable for Children, The Dressmaker and Steve Jobs. Snook’s latest project, Pieces of a Woman received critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival and will be streamed internationally by Netflix.
This new adaptation of Persuasion is from Searchlight Pictures and will be directed by Mahalia Belo. The screenplay will be written by Jessica Swale, who also wrote Summerland. Alison Owen and Debra Hayward will produce the film through Monumental Pictures while BBC Films will co-finance the drama.
Persuasion has been adapted for British television on numerous occasions, including a 1960 mini-series with Daphne Slater, a 1971 version with Ann Firbank and Bryan Marshall, a 1995 TV movie with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds and a 2007 version with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Henry-Jones.
Words by Noah Keate
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