The Age of Innocenceis getting a new adaptation. The 1920 Edith Wharton novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, is set in New York City in the 1870s and follows a man named Newland Archer who must choose between his respectable relationship with society woman May Welland and a turbulent love affair with the newly Countess Ellen Olenska. The novel was most recently adapted into a 1993Martin Scorsese movie, which starred Daniel Day-Lewis as Archer, Michelle Pfeiffer as Olenska, and Winona Ryder as Welland, and won an Oscar for Best Costume Design.
PerDeadline,Netflix has greenlit a limited series adaptation ofThe Age of Innocence. The show was adapted by consummate television writer Emma Frost (The Man in the High Castle,Shameless,The White Queen,The Spanish Princess), who will also be the showrunner. Additionally, Frost will executive produce alongside Chernin Entertainment’s Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Tracey Cook. While the series was ordered earlier in the year, it was not officially announced until World Book Day on April 23.
What This Means For The Age Of Innocence
It Is The First Onscreen Adaptation In Decades
Although it is an iconic novel that has been adapted numerous times for the stage and once for the radio,The Age of Innocencehas not often been adapted to the screen. Prior to the Martin Scorsese movie, which he co-wrote with Jay Cocks (who most recently penned theBob Dylan biopicA Complete Unknown) in addition to directing, only two adaptations have been mounted for the big screen. The first was a 1924 silent movie starring Beverly Bayne and Elliott Dexter, while the second was a 1934 production starring Irene Dunne and John Boles.
The 1924Age of Innocenceis a lost film and cannot be watched by modern audiences.
Theupcoming Netflix showmarksthe first time thatThe Age of Innocencehas been adapted for the small screen. The closest that it has come prior to this announcement was the 2009Gossip Girlepisode “The Age of Dissonance.” That episode of the iconic teen drama saw the characters starring in a staged version of the story, only to have their real romantic lives mirror their characters, though it was far from a direct interpretation of the original text.
Our Take On Netflix’s The Age Of Innocence
The Show Is A Promising Prospect
So far, there have been no announcements about the cast of the upcoming Netflix adaptation ofThe Age of Innocence. However, it seems possible that the classic text will be a draw for major stars, given the fact that it has been largely untouched for decades and offers a chance to provide fresh interpretations of iconic characters. If it assembles a promising cast,it could stand strong among Netflix’s other period romance offerings, which includeBridgerton,Persuasion, and their upcomingPride & Prejudiceseriesstarring Emma Corrin, Jack Lowden, and Olivia Colman.
