Persuasion: When is the Dakota Johnson film released? Who is in the cast? All you need to know about Netflix’s Jane Austen adaptation

Classic romance novel Persuasion is the next Jane Austen adaptation coming to Netflix.

The 1817 book, about Anne Elliot’s romantic choice between a former flame and a family-approved marriage, is being refreshed for 2022 with Dakota Johnson (50 Shades of Grey) in the lead role.

Persuasion will have a limited release in selected cinemas before coming exclusively to Netflix this summer.

Austen fanatics and newcomers to period drama post-Bridgerton should all find something to love in this romantic tale, which is being directed by Carrie Cracknell.

Here is everything you need to know about Persuasion…

When is Persuasion released?

Persuasion will be in select cinemas nationwide on 8 July and available on Netflix from 15 July.

What is Jane Austen's Persuasion about?

Persuasion was Austen’s last finished novel and is commonly regarded as one of her greatest and most moving works.

It is the story of Anne Elliot, who is persuaded to give up her relationship and engagement with Captain Frederick Wentworth because of his lack of fortune.

When Wentworth returns eight years later and Anne is still unmarried, their complex relationship is complicated further by the arrival of a wealthy new suitor – distant relative William Elliot.

Anne has to choose between putting the past behind her or listening to her heart when it comes to second chances.

Dakota Johnson, Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) and Cosmo Jarvis (Raised by Wolves, Calm with Horses) will star in this classic love triangle.

Who is in the Persuasion cast?

• Dakota Johnson – Plays Anne Elliot
• Henry Golding – Plays Mr Elliot
• Cosmo Jarvis – Plays Captain Frederick Wentworth
• Richard E Grant – Plays Sir Walter Elliot
• Nikki Amuka-Bird – Plays Lady Russell
• Suki Waterhouse
• Ben Bailey
• Izuka Hoyle
• Mia McKenna-Bruce – Plays Mary Musgrove
• Nia Towle
• Edward Bluemel
• Lydia Rose Bewley
• Yolanda Kettle

Watch the Persuasion trailer

The cheeky trailer for Persuasion, which features Dakota Johnson breaking the fourth wall, raised some eyebrows among Austen purists concerned that bringing in elements of Fleabag or Bridgerton would dilute the novelist's work. 

However, director Carrie Cracknell has insisted that fans of the novel shouldn’t be deterred by the comic tones of the trailer.

“I think people have a really deep feeling of ownership over Austen and, rightly, have a really sort of strong connection to the book,” she told Indie Wire.

“It’s really important to me that the film holds the grown-up longing and heartache and complexity of Anne’s journey, and I’ve tried to calibrate that really carefully, as well as finding this slightly more anarchic, comic energy.

“I suspect that the trailer possibly skews more towards that comic quality in the film. So I would really encourage people to watch the film and then there’ll be a really interesting conversation about which elements of the essence of the book we’ve held in the adaptation and where we’ve been a little bit more iconoclastic.”

Previous adaptations of Persuasion

The Jane Austen novel has been turned into films and TV series before, most recently in 2007 on ITV with Sally Hawkins as Anne and Rupert Penry-Jones as Captain Wentworth.

Other adaptations have included a 1995 film starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds.

Before that there were two British TV adaptations: a BBC 1960 miniseries starring Daphne Slater and Paul Daneman and an ITV miniseries in 1971 starring Ann Firbank and Bryan Marshall.

The best Jane Austen films on Netflix

• Emma (2020) - Starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn (trailer above).
• Pride and Prejudice (2005) - Starring Kiera Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen and Brenda Blethyn.

• Love and Friendship (2016) - Based on an early Austen story, Lady Susan, and starring Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Sevigny and Xavier Samuel.

Persuasion will be in select cinemas nationwide on 8 July and available on Netflix from 15 July.