The Source Material
English novelist Charlotte Brontë wrote Jane Eyre in October 1847. Tense, passionate and mysterious, the gothic love story became an instant literary sensation and hasn’t been out of print since. Even Queen Victoria was a fan, reading the ‘clever interesting book’ to her beloved Prince Albert in 1858. (And if, like us, you are a mega fan, you can visit Charlotte Bronte’s home in Haworth to immerse yourself fully – or why not stay amid the landscape that inspired the Brontes?)
Leading Light
Aimee Lou Wood – of Sex Education and White Lotus fame – is to play Jane Eyre, the plain but strong-willed governess who falls in love with her brooding boss. The versatile Rada alumna is sure to handle the hallowed role terrifically.
Production Plans
At the helm of the new series is Working Title, the British behemoth behind Four Weddings and a Funeral and Atonement. We also have Working Title to thank for 2005’s Pride & Prejudice and the Sense and Sensibility film that is due out this year, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, so we know costume drama is safe in their hands.
Screenplay Wizard
The playwright and screenwriter from Manchester, Miriam Battye, will be adapting the novel this time around. Her previous TV work includes Succession, for which she won a Writers’ Guild of America award.
Date For Your Diary
We aren’t yet sure when the series will hit our screens but next year is the 180th anniversary of Jane Eyre’s publication so a tie-in would make sense.
Bronte Books On Screen
To whet your appetite in the meantime, check out these gems.
Wuthering Heights (1939)
Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon imbue this version with an exquisite old-school romance that seems worlds away.
Jane Eyre (BBC, 1983)
Sit back and swoon over Timothy Dalton as Mr Rochester in a thorough adaptation.
Jane Eyre (BBC, 2006)
Ruth Wilson’s Jane Eyre was widely praised as intelligent, passionate and true to Brontë’s character.
Wuthering Heights (ITV, 2009)
In this two-parter, Thomas Hardy and Charlotte Riley bring serious chemistry to the moors.
Jane Eyre (2011)
Beautiful and studded with stars – like Michael Fassbender and Judi Dench – this film is a joy from start to finish.
