According to today’s Guardian

ITV’s critically acclaimed Jane Austen time-travel drama Lost in Austen is to be made into a Hollywood movie with Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes as an executive producer.

There are no cast details yet, but Guy Andrews is writing the script.  The oscar buzz for Som Mendes’ Revolutionary Road is bound to help things along.

We’ll let you know more when we know it.

Lost in Austen is an ingenious reinvention of the classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, in which Jane Austen’s story is thrown off track by a very modern heroine, Amanda Price (Jemima Rooper). Amanda swaps places with Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton) and takes centre stage in the celebrated love story.

Disillusioned with her life in London and disenchanted with her boyfriend, Amanda Price discovers Elizabeth Bennet in her bathroom. Soon she finds herself swapping places with Lizzie, and entering the ‘real’ fictional world of Pride and Prejudice. Amanda arrives at Longbourn, the home of the Bennet family, and realises she’s joined the action at the very start of the story, she gets to know the remaining Bennet sisters, and prepares to meet Mr Darcy (Elliot Cowan). How will she keep the greatest love story of all time on track when Elizabeth Bennet is stuck in the modern world?

Playing Mr and Mrs Bennet are Hugh Bonneville and Alex Kingston; Lindsay Duncan plays Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh; Morven Christie is Jane Bennet, Tom Mison is Mr Bingley, Guy Henry is Mr Collins, Tom Riley is Captain Wickham, and Christina Cole is Caroline Bingley.

Lost in Austen is made by Mammoth Screen, the independent production company set up by former ITV drama executives Michele Buck and Damien Timmer.

The four part series is written by acclaimed television writer Guy Andrews (Chancer, Prime Suspect, Absolute Power; Poirot and Lewis). The director is Dan Zeff (Worst Week Of My Life, Doctor Who, Marple) and producer is Kate McKerrell (Lewis).

Lost in Austen is executive produced by Michele Buck and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen, alongside writer Guy Andrews. Michele Buck and Damien Timmer’s recent credits include Ballet Shoes for BBC1, Agatha Christie’s Marple, the Inspector Morse spin off Lewis and the BAFTA award winning Housewife 49, starring Victoria Wood.

Michele Buck says: “With a thoroughly modern heroine transposed into the world of Jane Austen, and a ‘new’ Mr Darcy in the shape of Elliot Cowan, this is a hugely exciting project. It’s an honour to be working with such a fine cast on this very ambitious production.”

Damien Timmer says: “We’re delighted to be producing Lost in Austen for ITV. Guy’s scripts treat Jane Austen’s much loved source material with the utmost respect, but Amanda Price’s appearance in the story of Pride and Prejudice and the absence of Lizzie Bennet can’t help but turn everything on its head. We hope viewers will be gripped by the new romantic twists and turns which emerge, and will want to see who claims Mr Darcy’s heart.”

Granada International holds worldwide distribution rights.

Join ITV3 as it steps behind the scenes into the world of Jane Austen, in Lost in Austen Behind the scenes.

With access all areas to stars including Jemima Rooper (Amanda Price), Alex Kingston (Mrs Bennet), Hugh Bonnevillle (Mr Bennet) and Lindsay Duncan (Lady Catherine De Bourgh), viewers will exclusively see how the cast were transported back in time to the 19^th Century.

“This was such a joy to read,” says Jemima Rooper, “the more I read, the more I kept thinking, this is my part, this is my part, I must get this, which is terrifying when you’re auditioning for it, but I just absolutely fell in love with it, which I think everyone, unanimously on this whole job, would agree with, it’s a beautiful script.”

Throughout last autumn Daisybeck Productions spent weeks on location in North Yorkshire in the grounds of Harewood House, Bramham Park and Weston Park. Wherever the ITV1 film crew set up camp, their cameras followed to capture the highlights of Lost in Austen.

On a crisp morning in October, the team filmed the classic moment when Mr Darcy, played by Elliot Cowan, wades out of the lake, but this time towards Amanda Price. “I realised what an interesting, deep and conflicted character he was on some levels, “ says Elliot, “and I wanted to try and get my teeth into some of that in a new way.”

When the behind the scenes crew visited Bramham Park, the ballroom was lit with candles as the extras danced and the musicians played. With the make up artists and costume designers on set since half past five that morning, and the filming crew who are working to a tight schedule, Hugh Bonneville who plays Mr Bennet says:

“It’s a lot more complicated logistically to shoot a period piece. I love all forms of visual entertainment, so long as the scripts are good and this one is.”

During the programme we also catch up with the production designer, Michael Pickwoad, who reveals how he transformed a derelict country house into the Bennet’s family home with a small budget and a good deal of imagination and we meet the armourer who taught Guy Henry (Mr Collins) to shoot an antique shotgun.

Lost in Austen Behind the Scenes is a Daisybeck Production for ITV3 produced by Cathy Parnell.

A surge in TV and film production in Yorkshire means we’re set to see more of the region showcased on the big and small screen. Leeds City Markets were transformed into London’s Hammersmith underground station during the filming of upcoming ITV drama, Lost in Austen. The production team used some of Yorkshire’s most stunning locations including Bramham Park, Wetherby and York to portray the contrast between the period of Pride and Prejudice and modern day city life.

An ingenious reinvention of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Lost in Austen sees the ‘true’ story thrown off track by a very modern heroine, Amanda Price (Jemima Rooper). Disillusioned with her life in London and disenchanted with her boyfriend, Amanda Price discovers Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton) in her bathroom. Amanda swaps places with Elizabeth and takes centre stage in the celebrated love story.

Lost in Austen is made by Mammoth Screen, the independent production company set up by former ITV drama executives Michele Buck and Damien Timmer. The four part series for ITV is written by acclaimed television writer Guy Andrews (Chancer, Prime Suspect, Absolute Power and Lewis) and features an all-star cast including Alex Kingston (ER), Jemima Rooper and veteran actor Hugh Bonneville.

Regional screen agency Screen Yorkshire invested in Lost in Austen through its Production Fund and secured jobs for a number of regional trainees. The production liaison team were instrumental in attracting the drama to the region and ensured filming could go ahead without a hitch by negotiating filming permissions with local authorities and police.

Yorkshire has a long standing reputation for television production, home to ITV Yorkshire and well-established dramas such as Heartbeat, The Royal and Emmerdale, but recent years have witnessed an increase in incoming film and television production. A critical mass of home-grown production has generated a strong infrastructure of highly skilled crew and facilities houses, including Film Lab North – England’s only film lab outside London to provide super 16 and 35mm development at a single location. Screen Yorkshire has recently launched its Film Friendly Partnership to support local authorities to get the maximum benefits from incoming production as well as ensuring that production companies have a positive experience of filming here.

Hugo Heppell, Head of Production at Screen Yorkshire says:

”Bringing high quality and popular drama such as ’Lost in Austen’ to the region is critical to building a sustainable industry here. We’re working hard to build long term relationships with drama producers so we can continue to benefit from the jobs, investment and long term impact on tourism that drama production can bring. Yorkshire has a long and successful track record in film and television production and companies are attracted by the strong infrastructure, diversity of locations, comparatively low production costs and the positive filming experience they have here.”

A pub car park by the A1 is a far cry from the glamour of Hollywood.

But that was where ER star Alex Kingston found herself this week filming a new version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Lost in Austen is the 1813 classic with a twist as a modern-day heroine Amanda Price swaps places with main character Elizabeth Bennet to compete for dashing Mr Darcy’s affections.

Makers Mammoth Screen have used locations across Leeds and Harrogate, including Harewood House, Weeton Church near Otley and Allerton Castle just off the A1 to shoot the four-part costume drama for ITV.

Its star-studded cast includes Alex as Mrs Bennet, Hugh Bonneville as her husband, Gemma Arterton as their daughter Elizabeth and former Hex actress Jemima Rooper as new character Amanda Price.

Alex, who also starred in the BBC’s Moll Flanders, spoke to the YEP sat in the top deck of a catering bus parked next to a pub near Allerton Castle.

The mum-of-one said: “I’ve been up here before when I shot Moll Flanders.

“It’s lovely to see how many stately homes are still usable and haven’t been turned into apartments.

This is my fifth week of shooting and I’m staying in Leeds. I’d never been to the city before and I really like it – it’s amazing.

“We have the odd day off but normally I spend it doing the laundry or getting some shopping in.

“I would like to go to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park before I leave.”

Fantasy

Lost in Austen sees the original story thrown off track as London-living Amanda finds Lizzie Bennet in her bathroom.

She swaps her humdrum life in the Noughties to enter the fictional world of Pride and Prejudice.

Alex said: “I first read Pride and Prejudice as a teenager and remember thinking ‘Oh my God, I would love to go back to that time and meet Mr Darcy’ – in fact I don’t know a woman who knows the book who hasn’t had that fantasy.”

When filming finishes next week Alex will carry on the Jane Austen theme by doing the voice-over for a documentary about the 19th century writer.

She will then jet back to LA where she lives with husband Florian and their six-year-old daughter Salomé.

The 44-year-old said: “There is due to be an actors’ strike in June so going back to LA there will be a pool of actors desperately trying to get a job before the strike comes into action.

“I might have to come back here to do something up north again!”

Shoppers watched as Leeds City Markets were transformed into London’s Hammersmith City underground station last week for the filming of Lost In Austen. The drama, which sees its heroine transported back through time to exchange places with Elizabeth Bennet, used some of the region’s most stunning locations including Bramham Park, Wetherby and York to portray the contrast between the period of Pride and Prejudice and modern day city life.

The four part series for ITV is written by acclaimed television writer Guy Andrews (Chancer, Prime Suspect, Absolute Power and Lewis) and features an all-star cast including Alex Kingston (ER), Jemima Rooper and veteran actor Hugh Bonneville.

Screen Yorkshire invested in Lost in Austen through its Production Fund and secured jobs for a number of regional trainees. The production liaison team were instrumental in attracting the drama to the region and ensured filming could go ahead without a hitch by negotiating filming permissions with local authorities and police.

Lost in Austen, a Mammoth Screen production for ITV 1 and Screen Yorkshire, is set to screen in 2008.

Hugo Heppell, Head of Production at Screen Yorkshire says

”Bringing high quality and popular drama such as ‘Lost in Austen’ to the region is critical to building a sustainable industry here. We’re working hard to build long term relationships with drama producers so we can continue to benefit from the jobs, investment and long term impact on tourism that drama production can bring. Yorkshire has a long and successful track record in film and television production and companies are attracted by the strong infrastructure, diversity of locations, comparatively low production costs and the positive filming experience they have here.”

From itv.com

Starring: Jemima Rooper, Alex Kingston, Lindsay Duncan, Hugh Bonneville and Elliot Cowan

If only Amanda Price’s life was as exciting and romantic as the novels she reads. Poor Amanda is fed up with her life in London and losing patience with her boyfriend.

She may be a thoroughly modern girl but she longs for a man who can spark the fires that lie within. One day she is alone in her flat, reading a book. She hears a noise in the bathroom.

From that moment on her life will never be the same. Before she knows what has happened she has travelled back in time over 200 years. Jemima Rooper stars as the beautiful modern day heroine who enters the world of Lizzie Bennet and her family, the famous characters from Pride and Prejudice.

Realising she’s joined the action at the very start of the classic novel, she gets to know the remaining Bennet sisters, and prepares to meet Mr Darcy (Elliot Cowan).

How will she keep the greatest love story of all time on track when Elizabeth Bennet is stuck in the modern world?

The ‘true’ story is in danger of being thrown off track by her presence. Because Amanda knows Jane Austen’s book so well she realises that she could ruin literary history for ever.

Playing Mr and Mrs Bennet are Hugh Bonneville and Alex Kingston. Lindsay Duncan is Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh; Morven Christie is Jane Bennet, Tom Mison is Mr Bingley, Tom Riley is Captain Wickham, and Christina Cole is Caroline Bingley.

The four part series is written by acclaimed television writer Guy Andrews (Chancer, Prime Suspect, Absolute Power and Lewis).

“Lost in Austen has the high production values of period drama. Its sumptuous period locations, costume, carriages and props are juxtaposed with Amanda Price’s very modern lifestyle. The cleverness of the script will appeal to Austen aficionados and attract a new audience to this beautiful love story,” says ITV Controller of Drama Commissioning Sally Haynes.

Kingston: ditches her stethoscope in favour of a bonnet.

Alex Kingston, the former star of ER, will play a lead role in Lost in Austen, ITV1’s modern day take on the novelist Jane Austen’s classic story Pride and Prejudice.

The network has recruited Kingston for the role of the neurotic Mrs Bennet, her first British TV role since leaving the US hospital drama in 2004 and starring in ITV’s Boudica in 2003.

Jemima Rooper, star of the US science fiction series Hex, has been cast in the role of Amanda Price, a modern woman who swaps places with the novel’s heroine Elizabeth Bennet, played by Gemma Arterton.

In the four-part drama, Lizzie Bennet will living Amanda’s life while Mr Darcy, played by Elliot Cowen, will focus his attention upon a reluctant Amanda, a devoted follower of Austen and the world of Pride and Prejudice.

At the beginning of the story she uses the novel to escape her humdrum working life in a call centre before she is magically transported into its world.

The part of Mr Bennet will be played by veteran actor Hugh Bonneville and Rome star Lindsay Duncan will take on the role of the snobbish Lady Catherine in what is the first commission for Mammoth Screen, the independent production company set up by former ITV drama executives Michele Buck and Damien Timmer.

Written by Guy Andrews filming has just started on the drama which has been identified by industry observers as ITV1’s answer to the hugely popular BBC1 time travel drama Life on Mars. Controller of Drama Commissioning for ITV, Sally Haynes, said: “Lost in Austen has the high production values of period drama. Its sumptuous period locations, costume, carriages and props are juxtaposed with Amanda Price’s very modern lifestyle.

“The cleverness of the script will appeal to Austen aficionados and attract a new audience to this beautiful love story.”

Ben Dowell in MediaGuardian,