Sense and Sensibility’s First Trailer Stars Daisy Edgar-Jones in Jane Austen’s Adaptation
The romantic period drama based on Jane Austen’s 1811 debut novel is set to release in theatres this year
Focus Features just released the much-anticipated first trailer for the film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. The film is directed by Georgia Oakley, best known for her debut film Blue Jean, which won her the British Independent Film Award and received several nominations, including a BAFTA.
“Normal People” and “Twisters” star Daisy Edgar-Jones leads Sense and Sensibility as Elinor Dashwood, the eldest of the three Dashwood sisters, known for her rationale. Alongside her, Esmé Creed-Miles plays the romantic Marianne Dashwood, while the youngest sister, Margaret Dashwood, is played by Bodhi Rae Breathnach.
The trailer sets an earthly backdrop, with the signature muted greens, beige, and dusty browns reminiscent of the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice. It follows the story of the Dashwood family – Mrs Dashwood (played by Caitríona Balfe) and the three Dashwood sisters – who are forced to move into a modest cottage when they realize that Mr Dashwood had not left any estate for them in his will following his death. To their shock, much of the estate is bequeathed to his son from his first marriage, John (played by Tom Brooke), instead.
We are then introduced to the dashing Edward Ferrars (played by George MacKay), who quickly kindles the spark with Elinor, about which Marianne cheekily teases Elinor. Marianne however finds herself embroiled in a conflict between two men: John Willoughby (Frank Dillane) who is seen carrying her home after she wounds her ankle, and an older Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum).
The contrasting character arcs of Elinor and Marianne are presented in the trailer. We see Marianne’s embrace of emotionality as she says, “A man who loves me must burn with it, with all his passions, without the slightest restraint or hesitation.” Elinor, on a different side of the coin, is one who values practicality: “It is bewitching, the idea of one’s happiness depending entirely on another person. It is not always possible.” Elinor represents the “sense” – reason and logic, while Marianne represents the “sensibility” of emotional spontaneity and romantic passion. Austen’s novel depicts these characters as not defined solely by these traits, but as characters who learn the balance between the heart and the mind from each other.
This film adaptation of the highly coveted novel is not the first. Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility, which hit the theatres in 1995, received 7 Academy Award nominations and 1 Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. It boasts a star cast of Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman.
The 2020s in particular have seen a multitude of Jane Austen novels being made into films. Emma, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth and Callum Turner, was adapted from Jane Austen’s 1815 novel of the same name. Persuasion, from Austen’s 1817 novel, with Dakota Johnson in the lead, was released in 2022. A series adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, with Emma Corrin in the titular role, is also set to release this year.
Sense and Sensibility comes to the big screens on October 16, 2026.
This article is written by Hridya Lakkadi, a student of CBIT, interning with Deccan Chronicle.
