Sense and Sensibility is coming to cinemas this Friday – and early reactions are already pouring in

Jane Austen fans have a new reason to head to the cinema this weekend, as a fresh big-screen adaptation of Sense and Sensibility arrives in UK cinemas on Friday, September 25.

Directed by Georgia Oakley and written by bestselling author Diana Reid, the new film puts Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles at the centre of Austen’s much-loved story as sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood.

The film comes more than 30 years after Ang Lee’s celebrated 1995 adaptation, which starred Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman.

But this new version is not simply looking to recreate what came before.

Instead, the filmmakers have placed the relationship between the Dashwood sisters at the heart of the story, exploring how two very different women learn from one another as they face love, heartbreak, financial uncertainty and the restrictions placed on women of their time.

What is the new Sense and Sensibility about?

The story begins with tragedy when the Dashwood sisters lose their father.

Because of the financial and social circumstances surrounding his death, Elinor, Marianne, their younger sister Margaret and their mother are forced to leave their family home and move to a much more modest cottage in Devonshire.

There, the sisters find themselves navigating a complicated world of romance and social expectations.

Elinor is practical and controlled, while Marianne is passionate and much more willing to follow her heart.

Their different approaches to love are tested as they become involved with a number of potential suitors.

Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Elinor, with Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne. Caitríona Balfe plays their mother, Mrs Dashwood, while George MacKay stars as Edward Ferrars and Frank Dillane plays John Willoughby.

The cast also includes Fiona Shaw, Herbert Nordrum and newcomer Bodhi Rae Breathnach.

Focus Features describes the film as a story of “love and sisterhood”, with the new adaptation aiming to bring Austen’s characters to a contemporary audience.

Daisy Edgar-Jones says the sisters still feel relevant today

Edgar-Jones has spoken about finding a modern connection with Elinor and the Dashwood family.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actress explained that she connected with Elinor’s position as the responsible older sister, while also highlighting the way the new film explores the relationship between the sisters.

That sisterly relationship is something director Georgia Oakley has deliberately made central to her interpretation.

Speaking to Reuters, Oakley explained that rather than presenting Elinor as the character who represents “sense” and Marianne as the character who represents “sensibility”, her version makes their relationship much more reciprocal.

“It’s so much more symbiotic and it’s about the two sisters learning from each other.”

Edgar-Jones also described the new interpretation as celebrating sisterhood and self-discovery rather than simply dividing the characters into two opposing personalities.

The cast reportedly felt like a real family

The chemistry between Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles is particularly important to the film.

The two actresses had actually worked together before, appearing in the 2018 film Pond Life, something Oakley felt helped when they were reunited for the Austen adaptation.

The director told Vogue that seeing the pair together during their chemistry read was a delight, noting that their previous experience of working together helped create the sense that they already knew one another.

That connection apparently extended beyond the two leads.

Bodhi Rae Breathnach, who plays Margaret Dashwood, told Reuters that the relationship between Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles made the three performers feel like genuine siblings.

“It really was like I had siblings.”

For Norwegian actor Herbert Nordrum, who plays Colonel Brandon, joining the British period drama was a new experience. He described arriving on set as feeling as though he had been dropped into a national football team, with everyone immediately passing the ball to him.

George MacKay deliberately avoided watching the famous 1995 film

One of the more unusual stories surrounding the production concerns George MacKay.

The actor, who plays Edward Ferrars, had not watched Ang Lee’s 1995 Sense and Sensibility before making the new film.

He had not even read Austen’s novel.

According to director Oakley, that was something she was actually happy about.

She told Vogue that she wanted some of the cast to approach the story without the expectations created by previous adaptations.

Oakley recalled telling one actor who had neither seen the earlier film nor read the novel that perhaps he should not do so, because she wanted some performers to come to the material without those preconceptions.

MacKay has since spoken about his interpretation of Edward, describing the character’s quieter qualities and humour in an interview with Vogue.

It looks very different from the traditional Austen world

The new Sense and Sensibility also has a deliberately grounded visual style.

Rather than presenting Regency England as an endlessly pristine world of immaculate dresses, grand houses and perfectly styled characters, Oakley wanted the film to feel lived-in.

She told Vogue that it was important to show what it actually felt like to live in the houses occupied by the Dashwoods, whether that meant a large country estate or a more modest cottage.

The production team also looked to films including Far From the Madding Crowd, Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Godland for inspiration.

Costume designer Grace Snell similarly created a more naturalistic wardrobe, using antique textiles and restrained designs while allowing the clothing to reflect the characters’ changing circumstances.

What are critics saying about Sense and Sensibility?

The first reactions have been largely enthusiastic following the film’s London premiere.

Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture described the film as “so exquisite”, praising Georgia Oakley’s approach and highlighting performances from both Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles.

He called it a new adaptation made with “tremendous care, sincerity, and affection”, while praising the costumes, score and ensemble cast.

Early reaction coverage has also highlighted the film’s visual style, performances and its approach to the relationship between the two sisters.

Time Out, meanwhile, noted that Oakley has a talented young British and Irish cast to work with, while acknowledging the challenge presented by the much-loved 1995 film and the BBC’s 2008 adaptation.

The Guardian’s Catherine Shoard described the new film as “Austen for the Insta age”, pointing to its distinctive visual approach and the prominent performances from Edgar-Jones, Creed-Miles, MacKay and Dillane.

When is Sense and Sensibility released in UK cinemas?

Sense and Sensibility is released in UK cinemas on Friday, September 25, 2026.

The film has a running time of 131 minutes and is rated U in the UK.

For Austen fans, it represents another opportunity to see one of the author’s most famous stories reimagined for a new generation.

And while comparisons with the much-loved Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet version are inevitable, the filmmakers behind the 2026 adaptation appear keen to make their own mark — particularly by putting Elinor and Marianne’s relationship, rather than simply their respective romances, at the centre of the story.

With its combination of a major British cast, a fresh interpretation of Austen and encouraging early reactions, Sense and Sensibility is set to be one of the key new films arriving in UK cinemas this autumn.

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