The Hollywood Reporter recently reported that actress Dakota Johnson has signed on to star in Persuasion, a modern adaptation of the novel by British author Jane Austen. The work is a co-production between Netflix and MRC Entertainment.
The film is directed by stage director Carrie Cracknell, marking her feature directorial debut. The screenplay for Persuasion is written by Ron Bass (Rain Man, My Best Friend’s Wedding) and Alice Victoria. Filming is scheduled to begin in May 2021.
Persuasion is described by the producers as “a modern, witty, yet faithful take on the beloved novel that has been loved by generations of readers.” In the film, the heroine Anne Elliot’s snobbish family is on the brink of bankruptcy. Elliot herself finds herself unable to get along with her relatives because of her modern personality. When Frederick Wentworth, the handsome man she once abandoned, suddenly returns, Anne Elliot must choose between burying the past or following her heart and giving love another chance.
Persuasion is Jane Austen’s last complete novel, published in early 1818 – 6 months after her death. When she wrote Persuasion, Jane Austen was suffering from Addison’s disease (adrenal gland degeneration).
She is also the author of famous works such as Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey… Her comments on social issues and her excellent writing style in the art of storytelling and creating ironic situations have brought Austen’s name to the list of the most influential and respected writers in English literature.
Her works are set between 1795 and 1830 (the Regency Era), and are notable for their political, cultural and costume specifics. Janes Auten never married, but her romantic love stories were partly based on her own affair with Tom Lefroy.
While Pride and Prejudice is often considered Jane Austen’s most famous story, some readers say that their favorite of Austen’s works is the emotional love story Persuasion. Critics also say that Persuasion is the most passionate and profound of all of Jane Austen’s works.
This shows that Persuasion has a certain place in literature. Particularly outstanding is the description of the main character’s mental states, Anne Elliot, in the process of growing up: from naive and trusting to panic and then strong and determined; from a persuasive nature to a personality that decides to take charge of her own life.
In addition to Pride and Prejudice, this is a novel that has been adapted into television dramas and stage plays many times. The last work of the author Jane Austen was made into a film with prestigious awards. The film received BAFTA TV and RTS Television awards; 2007, a feature film for television by ITV1, some of the exterior scenes were filmed in Lyme and Bath in September 2006.
Struggling to escape the “shadow” of 50 Shades of Grey
Back to the hot American actress Dakota Johnson, she is best known for her famous role in the Fifty Shades series. Johnson said she is proud of her role as Anastasia Steele in this series, but that success is a shadow that she is still struggling to overcome.
The beauty is also the favorite “muse” of many famous brands such as Saint Laurent, Dior, Balenciaga, Gucci… Dakota Johnson became interested in modeling at the age of 12 after a photo shoot with the children of other celebrities in Teen Vogue magazine and then earned an income as a model while attending high school in Santa Monica.
Dakota Mayi Johnson was born on October 4, 1989 in Austin, Texas, the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. Dakota Johnson’s stepfather is actor Antonio Banderas. She has six siblings, four on her father’s side and two on her mother’s side.
Because of her parents’ work, Johnson spent much of her childhood on various film sets with them. But her parents discouraged her from pursuing a career in acting until she graduated from high school.
She made her film debut at the age of 10 with a small role in Crazy in Alabama (1999), a dark comedy starring her mother. The film was directed by her stepfather Antonio Banderas and co-starred her sister Stella Banderas.
After graduating from high school, Dakota signed with the William Morris Agency and began her acting career in earnest. She appeared in the critically acclaimed film The Social Network directed by David Fincher. She then starred in a series of films such as Beastly, Chloe and Theo, For Ellen. In 2012, she starred in Christopher Neil’s Goats with David Duchovny; Nicholas Stoller’s The Five-Year Engagement and 21 Jump Street. She also played the female lead in Chris Nelson’s Date and Switch.
In March 2012, Dakota successfully auditioned for the role of Kate in the Fox comedy series Ben and Kate, successfully moving into the television industry. However, on January 25, 2013, the series was canceled after season 1. However, Dakota quickly returned to her film career with the film Need for Speed (2014). She was also cast in one of the roles in the film Cymbeline.
Johnson’s breakthrough came with the lead role of Anastasia “Ana” Steele in the romantic drama 50 Shades, released in February 2015. For this role, Dakota had to overcome a series of famous actors such as Lucy Hale, Felicity Jones, Elizabeth Olsen, Danielle Panabaker and Shailene Woodley.
The role brought her worldwide recognition and won her the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Actress. That same year, she continued to gain attention for her roles in Black Mass and A Bigger Splash. Dakota Johnson also received BAFTA nominations for Rising Star for her roles in Fifty Shades of Grey and Black Mass.
Following Fifty Shades, Johnson appeared in Luca Guadagnino’s drama A Bigger Splash (2015) and the romantic comedy How to Be Single (2016). She reunited with Guadagnino, taking on the lead role in Suspiria (2018), a supernatural horror film based on Dario Argento’s 1977 film. That same year, she appeared in an ensemble cast in the horror film Bad Times at the El Royale. In 2018, she appeared in Bad Times at the El Royale, opposite Chris Hemsworth. In 2019, Johnson had leading roles in the psychological horror film Wounds and the comedy-drama The Peanut Butter Falcon.
However, Dakota Johnson’s acting is not highly appreciated. In recent years, she has always tried to try many types of roles to renew herself, to escape the label of “hot scene beauty”. Hopefully, the film adapted from the novel Persuasion will help the 8X actress convince the public about her diverse acting talent.
