As regular blog readers know, I have found it difficult to say anything positive about the recent spate of Jane Austen-inspired TV movies. The Hallmark channel has brought us four in the past few years, and they have all been pretty terrible.https://www.deborahyaffe.com/post/never-too-much-jane
But that changes right now! Because here’s one good thing you can say about those Austen-inspired TV movies: They get made really fast.
It’s been nine months since we learned about PBS’ upcoming Sanditon series, and five months since we heard of the new feature film based on Emma. Filming is underway for both projects, but no release dates have been announced. By contrast, we’ve recently been told that the Lifetime movie Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta will hit our TV screens on June 1, barely seven months after the project was announced. That’s efficiency!
This version of P&P, you may recall, features an all-African-American cast, with Mr. Bennet the pastor of a Southern Baptist church and Mrs. Bennet the author of a self-help marriage manual. How good will it be? The jury is out until June 1. But at least that’s soon.