Random House Studio and Focus Features have moved on film rights to Longbourn, a revisionist take on Pride And Prejudice that tells Jane Austen’s story from the point of view of the Bennet family estate servants.

Jo Baker’s book will be published this autumn through Transworld in the UK, Knopf in the US and Random House in Canada.

According to a press release issued by Focus Features on Thursday [7], translation rights have been sold in Spain, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Brazil, France and Sweden.

“Jo Baker fully inhabits the lives of her characters – and in Longbourn, they are ones who previously existed in the background only,” said Focus Features CEO James Schamus. “By compellingly exploring new avenues in the world of Pride And Prejudice she has fashioned a tale of a calibre that film-makers dream about.

“We are delighted to be partnering again with our friends and colleagues at Random House Studio to co-finance and produce what will be a highly anticipated motion picture for audiences worldwide.”

Baker’s novels include Offcomer, The Mermaid’s Child, The Telling, and The Undertow (known in the UK as The Picture Book).


  

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