Jane Austen’s Persuasion is set for another movie adaptation, with the lead roles now cast. Crazy Rich Asians breakout star Henry Golding has been cast to play Mr Elliot, with Dakota Johnson taking on the role of Anne Elliot in Netflix’s upcoming Persuasion film.
Austen’s beloved novel tells the story of Anne, a young woman faced with family debt, who reconnects with an old flame from her past, named Frederick Wentworth. Golding’s Mr Elliot enters the story as a distant relation and presumptive heir to the Elliot fortune, soon revealing himself to be a cold opportunist.
The casting of Golding as the ‘villain’ is a notable departure from his typical roles as the charming love interest in movies like Crazy Rich Asians and Last Christmas.
Netflix has yet to announce casting for Anne’s love interest, Frederick Wentworth, but has shared that theatre director Carrie Cracknell will be directing the film.