Jane Austen's unfinished novel Sandition to be adapted by BAFTA-winning Andrew Davies for ITV

Austen wrote 11 chapters before she died in 1817
Previous projects: Andrew Davies adapted Austen's Pride and Prejudice
Natasha Sporn10 July 2018

ITV will adapt Jane Austen’s unfinished novel Sanditon as part of a new drama series penned by Andrew Davies.

The acclaimed screenwriter will bring Austen’s unfinished work – written just months before her death in 1817 - to life on the small screen.

Sanditon tells the story of the romance between free-spirited Charlotte Heywood and charming Sidney Parker.

The story sees Heywood forced away from her hometown of Willingden after an accident to the titular coastal town where she finds a whole new pace and way of life.

Adaptation: English novelist Jane Austen.
Getty Images

While there, she also rediscovers herself and finds the one thing she didn’t know she was actively searching for - love.

Based on the final manuscript, the story will be adapted by Emmy and BAFTA-winning Davies into an eight-hour series.

Screenwriter: Andrew Davies will adapt the unfinished novel
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

Davies’ work will be familiar to ITV viewers, whose credits include War & Peace, Mr Selfridge, Les Misérables and Pride and Prejudice.

ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill said of the upcoming new drama: “It’s a rich, romantic, family saga built upon the foundations Jane Austen laid. There is no one better to adapt her unfinished novel than Andrew who has an incredible track record for bold and original adaptations.

“We’re delighted to commission Sanditon from Belinda Campbell and her team at Red Planet Pictures.”

Davies said: “Jane Austen managed to write only a fragment of her last novel before she died - but what a fragment!

“Sanditon tells the story of the transformation of a sleepy fishing village into a fashionable seaside resort, with a spirited young heroine, a couple of entrepreneurial brothers, some dodgy financial dealings, a West Indian heiress, and quite a bit of nude bathing.”

Casting will be announced in due course with filming expected to begin next spring. Red Planet Pictures will produce for ITV and Masterpiece.

Royal Society of Literature's Jane Austen auction

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