Netflix and MRC Film have partnered on Persuasion with Dakota Johnson to star in the lead role. Acclaimed Director Carrie Cracknell, who directed Jake Gyllenhall and Tom Sturridge to Tony nominations last year in Sea Wall/ A Life on Broadway, will make her feature directing debut.

Based on the novel by Jane Austen, the film takes a modern, witty approach to a beloved story while still remaining true to the classic novel. The story is about Anne Elliot who is an unconforming woman with modern sensibilities and living with her snobby family on the brink of bankruptcy. When Frederick Wentworth—the dashing one she once sent away—crashes back into her life, Anne must choose between putting the past behind her or listening to her heart when it comes to second chances.

The screenplay is by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow, with Elizabeth Cantillon via her untitled MRC Film Romance label, Michael Constable, David Fliegel serving as executive producers. The film is being produced by Andrew Lazar, and Christina Weiss Lurie.