For those of us who are impatient to see the latest Jane Austen-inspired TV movie – i.e., for Janeites whose boundless optimism remains undented by frequent disappointment – the makers of Lifetime’s upcoming Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta have just rolled out a teaser ahead of the June 1 air date.
The minute-long trailer that dropped last week suggests – dare I say it? Am I tempting fate? – that this version might be kinda fun. As you’ll recall, it’s a contemporary African-American update, with the Bennet patriarch now the pastor of a black church and his wife the author of a self-help marriage manual.
Extrapolating wildly from the snippets available, it looks as if the movie may grant more wisdom to the older generation than Jane Austen’s novel does – although we also seem to be in for some enjoyable scenery-chewing from Jackée Henry as Mrs. Bennet and Victoria Rowell as a Lady Catherine equivalent. The actors are a good-looking bunch, the production values seem decent, the original story is pretty darn good. . . what’s not to like?
Austen-themed TV movies have a poor track record of late (see under: Unleashing Mr. Darcy et al.) so I should probably reserve judgment in order to avoid the near-inevitable heartbreak. But I can’t help myself! Boundless optimism it is!