The casting has been announced for ITV‘s new Jane Austen series Sanditon.
The series, which is based on Austen’s final and incomplete novel, will star Rose Williams (Curfew, Changeland), Theo James (The Divergent Series, Downton Abbey), Anne Reid (Last Tango in Halifax, Hold the Sunset,) and Kris Marshall (Death in Paradise, Love Actually).
Written only months before Austen’s death in 1817, Sanditon tells the story of the joyously impulsive, spirited and unconventional Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) and her spiky relationship with the humorous, charming (and slightly wild!) Sidney Parker (Theo James).
When a chance accident transports her from her rural hometown of Willingden to the would-be coastal resort of the eponymous title, it exposes Charlotte to the intrigues and dalliances of a seaside town on the make, and the characters whose fortunes depend on its commercial success. The twists and turns of the plot, which takes viewers from the West Indies to the rotting alleys of London, exposes the hidden agendas of each character and sees Charlotte discover herself and ultimately find love.
Reid will star as the deliciously direct Lady Denham and Kris Marshall will star as as Tom Parker.
Rose Williams said, “I am absolutely thrilled to be playing Charlotte Heywood. This role is such a blessing. She’s a brilliant character- modern, headstrong, with heart and a voice. Andrew’s scripts are so beautifully written and wonderfully full of powerful female characters. I can’t wait to start filming soon with the wonderful cast and creative team on Sanditon”
The cast also includes Kate Ashfield (Secrets and Lies, Line of Duty) as Mary Parker, Jack Fox (Riviera, Johnny English Strikes Again) as Sir Edward Denham, Charlotte Spencer (The Living and the Dead, Watership Down) as Esther Denham, Lily Sacofsky (Bancroft) as Clara Bereton, Crystal Clarke (Ordeal by Innocence) as Miss Lambe. Elizabeth Berrington (Vanity Fair, Patrick Melrose) will play Mrs Griffiths, with Adrian Rawlins (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 &2, Girlfriends) as Mr Heywood, Turlough Convery (Les Miserables, Poldark) as Arthur Parker, Mark Stanley (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Game of Thrones) as Lord Babbington and Matthew Needham (The Hollow Crown, The Ritual) as Mr Crowe. Alexandra Roach (Black Mirror, A Guide to Second Date Sex) will play Diana Parker, with Leo Suter (Clique, Victoria) as Young Stringer, Kevin Eldon (Cavendish, Hot Fuzz) as Mr Hankins and Adrian Scarborough (The Madness of King George, A Very English Scandal) as Dr Fuchs.
Andrew Davies, creator and screenwriter said, “I’m very excited that we are bringing the world of Sanditon to the TV audience with such a brilliant ensemble cast, headed by star of the future Rose Williams as our heroine, independent and forthright Charlotte Heywood, together with Theo James (Divergent) as Sidney Parker, our Regency entrepreneur with an aura of danger. It’s been such fun to develop Jane Austen’s fragment into a series – now I’m eager to see our exceptional cast bring Sanditon to life.”
Sanditon is a Red Planet Pictures production adapted by Andrew Davies (War & Peace) and will be an eight-part series for ITV and Masterpiece.
