Netflix’s Pride and Prejudice Adaptation Finally Brings Jane Austen’s Famous Opening Line to Screen — Spoken by Olivia Colman

It is a truth universally acknowledged that everyone knows the opening line of Pride and Prejudice — yet, remarkably, those famous words have never actually been uttered on screen across decades of film and television adaptations. Now, a starry new Netflix adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel is set to change all of that. Under the pen of writer and showrunner Dolly Alderton, the upcoming series will finally feature the landmark sentence: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

While in Austen’s original 1813 masterpiece the line is delivered by an omniscient narrator, Alderton has cleverly recontextualized the text, gifting the iconic phrase to one of the story’s most defining characters: family matriarch Mrs. Bennet, played by Oscar-winning actor Olivia Colman. In a newly released trailer for the series, Colman’s Mrs. Bennet can be seen delivering the phrase with characteristic urgency, setting the theatrical tone for the family drama to come.

Speaking about her decision to transfer the famous line from the page’s narrator to Mrs. Bennet, show creator Dolly Alderton explained that it was a natural fit because the character is entirely consumed by the marital status of her daughters. For Mrs. Bennet, finding suitable husbands is not merely a social preference, but an urgent matter of domestic security and survival.

"It’s the central drama of her story," said Alderton, discussing the creative choice. "It’s all she’s thinking about, it’s a preoccupation that any time a single man comes into her orbit she’s thinking this might be safety for all of my daughters this might be salvation not just for one of them but for all of us so the fact that this is so in her mind all the time felt that it had to be her line."

Alderton added that giving the line to Mrs. Bennet felt organic to the psychology of the character. "It was most natural for her to take it because it’s all she thinks about," she noted.

Admitting her initial reaction to the massive undertaking, Alderton revealed she was initially hesitant about adapting Austen’s classic literature because the assignment felt like "too much responsibility." However, her perspective quickly evolved as production got underway. "Since then, I’ve just thought about the honour and the privilege of being entrusted with this story," she reflected.

The new trailer builds upon a brief sneak peek that was first unveiled back in February, giving fans a much closer look at the fresh interpretations of Austen’s iconic ensemble cast. Among them is the protagonist Elizabeth Bennet, last famously played on film by Keira Knightley in Joe Wright’s acclaimed 2005 adaptation. In the upcoming Netflix series, the spirited protagonist channels a similar sense of fierce independence and spirited defiance. In one standout moment from the footage, she declares: "One day Jane, I shall either be a governess or a spinster… or a wife and a mother. And then finally we may talk about something else!"

Viewers were also given an extended look at Jack Lowden as the enigmatic Mr. Darcy. Looking every bit as intense, brooding, and awkwardly romantic as Matthew MacFadyen and Colin Firth before him, Lowden appears poised to bring a distinct layer of reserved intensity to Austen’s most famously guarded romantic lead.

This television role arrives at a particularly significant moment in Lowden’s career. The Scottish actor is currently being heavily tipped for another legendary British screen role, with the James Bond rumor mill running into overdrive following industry reports that the final screen tests for the coveted 007 franchise took place over a recent weekend.

In addition to Colman, Lowden, and the central Bennet family, the new trailer offers audiences a hilarious glimpse at comedian Jamie Demetriou stepping into the role of Mr. Collins. As the pompous, painfully awkward clergyman and potential suitor to Elizabeth Bennet—arguably one of the most memorably cringeworthy characters in English literature—Demetriou looks right at home. In one teaser moment, Mr. Collins pompously remarks, "Mrs Bennet, if there is one thing I am not in need of, it’s counsel on how to charm a young lady," just before he rises to his feet and comically knocks over a table laden with glasses.

The forthcoming Netflix series marks a major milestone for Austen adaptations on screen. While there have been several notable interpretations of the work over the decades—including the legendary 1995 BBC television miniseries starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, and Joe Wright’s 2005 cinematic feature film, which earned four Academy Award nominations—this project represents the first major screen adaptation of the novel in over twenty years.

Reflecting on why the source material continues to resonate so deeply with modern audiences more than two centuries after its publication, Alderton pointed to the emotional core of the narrative. Pride and Prejudice endures not merely as a period romance, but as an acute study of human nature that remains entirely relevant today.

"Pride and Prejudice is such a timeless story because of the emotions in the book; they are as pertinent now as they were in 1812," Alderton said. "Embarrassment of your family, fear that you’re going to get left behind, fear that the world is not going to be a safe place for your children as it was for you, mortification that you judged someone incorrectly or that you had been misjudged. We go to that book to see our hearts reflected in it."

The highly anticipated Netflix series Pride and Prejudice is officially scheduled to premiere on the streaming platform on December 3.