Outlander star Caitríona Balfe has joined the cast for a “fresh” adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel, Sense and Sensibility.
The period drama, written by Diana Reid and directed by Georgia Oakley, was formally unveiled by Focus Features last month, with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles confirmed in the lead roles of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood.
In a further update from the production company on Monday (21 July), it has been confirmed that filming is now under way, with Balfe joining the cast alongside Frank Dillane, George MacKay, Herbert Nordrum, Bodhi Rae Breathnach and Fiona Shaw.
Balfe, who garnered acclaim for her part as Claire Fraser in Outlander, will assume the role of Edgar-Jones’s and Creed-Miles’s on-screen mother Mrs Dashwood, with Killing Eve star Shaw set to play Mrs Jennings.
MacKay, best known for 1917 and Femme, will portray Edward Ferrers, while Dillane will play Marianne’s love interest John Willoughby. Breathnach has been confirmed as Margaret, the third Dashwood sister, while Nordrum will portray Colonel Brandon.
Austen’s 1811 novel, now regarded as a literary classic, was described as a “timeless” exploration of “restraint and passion” by Focus Features, with the production company describing the latest adaptation as a “fresh” take on the acclaimed work.
The book had previously been adapted by Emma Thompson for the big screen in 1995, with the actor also starring as Elinor. The period drama, directed by Ang Lee, also starred Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant.
While Balfe will soon take the world of 18th-century England, the actor was recently seen alongside Rami Malek in The Amateur, an action thriller which follows a CIA cryptographer who goes rogue following the murder of his wife.
In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Balfe revealed that she had a “special” feeling while shooting in Marseille, sharing: “Where Rami and I did the scenes of Inquiline’s house, it was just the coolest little fishing village, but it feels so isolated and remote.
“It felt like somewhere that somebody would go [in order] to disappear. All of that stuff really informs you, and I hope that we keep getting to shoot on location and that people don’t put things on green screens.”
Source: aol.com