Netflix’s new Pride and Prejudice has a clear challenge: give Jane Austen’s familiar romantic comedy fresh performances while following a story many viewers already associate with the 2005 film. Emma Corrin and Jack Lowden take the central roles of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, with Olivia Colman, Rufus Sewell and a new ensemble filling out the Bennet family and its circle.
Picture Credit: Netflix
The six-episode series arrives December 3. Dolly Alderton, whose credits include Good Material and Everything I Know About Love, created it, and Euros Lyn directs. Netflix has released a trailer and first looks at the cast, giving viewers an early sense of how this version approaches the Bennets and the people around them.
The trailer is embedded below.
A familiar story with a new ensemble
Netflix has adapted Austen before, with Dakota Johnson starring in its Persuasion film, while other Austen titles such as Emma (2020) have appeared on the service as licensed films. The streamer has also found an audience for literary adaptations, including its version of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden.
But Pride and Prejudice brings a different kind of baggage. The 2005 film, led by Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, remains a favorite and has returned to Netflix’s library over the years. It has accumulated more than 10 million total views on the service, a notable audience for a licensed film released more than two decades ago.
Alderton’s stated approach points toward a faithful adaptation rather than a radical rethink. “Once in a generation, a group of people get to retell this wonderful story and I feel very lucky that I get to be a part of it,” she told Netflix. She described Austen’s novel as “the blueprint for romantic comedy” and said adapting it had offered “familiar and fresh ways” to bring the book to life.
That’s a useful framing for the casting. The new performers aren’t stepping into an empty space: many viewers already have a strong picture of these characters from the 2005 film, and the novel’s principal relationships are well established. The interesting question is how this ensemble will shape the family dynamics and romantic tensions across six episodes.
The Bennet family
Elizabeth Bennet
Picture Credit: Netflix / Focus Features
2005: Keira Knightley | 2026: Emma Corrin
Elizabeth is sharp, self-reliant and quick to judge Darcy after he behaves dismissively at the Meryton ball. Her view changes as she learns more about him, making her own assumptions part of the story’s central tension. Knightley’s performance helped define the character for a generation of film viewers. Corrin, known for playing Diana in The Crown and for appearing in the Black Mirror episode “Hotel Reverie,” now takes on the role.
Mr. Bennet
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2005: Donald Sutherland | 2026: Rufus Sewell
The father of five daughters, Mr. Bennet is especially close to Elizabeth and looks out for his children, even as the family faces pressure around marriage and inheritance. Sewell is already familiar to Netflix audiences through The Diplomat, where he plays Hal Wyler, as well as appearances in Scoop, The Sandman and Kaleidoscope.
Mrs. Bennet
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2005: Brenda Blethyn | 2026: Olivia Colman
Mrs. Bennet’s focus on securing marriages for her daughters reflects the social and financial pressures facing the family. Colman brings a substantial Netflix résumé to the part, with roles in The Crown, Heartstopper and The Lost Daughter.
Jane Bennet
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2005: Rosamund Pike | 2026: Freya Mavor
Jane, the eldest Bennet sister, is more patient and open-minded than Elizabeth. Mavor, known for her work in HBO’s Industry, makes her Netflix debut in the series. In the 2005 film, Pike played Jane opposite Knightley’s Elizabeth.
Mary Bennet
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2005: Talulah Riley | 2026: Hopey Parish
Often overshadowed by her sisters, Mary has fewer prospects and a smaller role in the familiar versions of the story. The character has recently drawn renewed attention through the BBC series The Other Bennet Sister, which is set to return for a Christmas special later this year. Parish, a newcomer, plays Mary in Netflix’s adaptation.
Kitty and Lydia Bennet
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2005: Carey Mulligan and Jena Malone | 2026: Hollie Avery and Rhea Norwood
The two youngest Bennet sisters often appear as a pair, sharing a taste for excitement and a tendency toward foolish decisions. Avery makes her acting debut as Kitty. Norwood, who plays Lydia, has a familiar Netflix role as Imogen Heaney in Heartstopper. In the 2005 film, Mulligan played Kitty and Malone played Lydia.
Darcy’s circle and the other suitors
Mr. Darcy
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2005: Matthew Macfadyen | 2026: Jack Lowden
Darcy’s wealth and status precede him, but his behavior at the Meryton ball gives Elizabeth reason to see him as proud and unpleasant. His income is £10,000 a year, and he owns Pemberley in Derbyshire. Lowden, best known for Slow Horses, previously starred as Vaughn in the Netflix film Calibre (2018). He inherits a role that Macfadyen made especially familiar to many viewers.
Mr. Wickham
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2005: Rupert Friend | 2026: Louis Partridge
Wickham arrives as a charming militia officer and a possible match for Elizabeth, complicating the way she sees Darcy. Partridge, who plays Edward in House of Guinness, takes over the part from Friend.
Mr. Bingley
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2005: Simon Woods | 2026: Daryl McCormack
Bingley’s fortune comes largely from his father’s business, and his interest in Jane develops despite Darcy’s reservations. McCormack, who played Isaiah Jesus in Peaky Blinders, also appears in Netflix’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Woods played the character in the 2005 film.
William Collins
Picture Credit: Netflix / Focus Features
2005: Tom Hollander | 2026: Jamie Demetriou
Collins is Mr. Bennet’s distant cousin, the clergyman expected to inherit Longbourn, and a suitor who hopes to marry into the family. His pompous manner and poor social instincts make him a natural source of comedy. Demetriou, a comedian with Netflix credits including Back in Action and the 2023 special A Whole Lifetime, follows Hollander in the role.
What the casting signals
The new lineup combines performers already associated with Netflix projects with newcomers such as Parish and Avery. That mix gives the adaptation some recognizable faces while leaving room for less familiar takes on the Bennet sisters. The central comparison will inevitably be Corrin and Lowden against Knightley and Macfadyen, but the supporting cast matters just as much: Jane and Bingley’s courtship, the sisters’ ambitions and Collins’s awkward proposal all shape the story’s pace and tone.
With the trailer now available and the December 3 premiere approaching, the cast offers the clearest early sign of the series’ identity. Its success will depend on whether this ensemble can make Austen’s wit, family friction and shifting judgments feel vivid again across six episodes.
