10 Movies You Didn't Know Were Inspired by Jane Austen

Top 10 Screen Adaptations Inspired by Jane Austen

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Screen Adaptations Inspired by Jane Austen.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the best movies, TV shows and other media inspired by the beloved author and her novels.

Which Austen retellings do you ardently admire and love? Let us know in the comments.

#10: “Lost in Austen” (2008)

This fanfiction-esque fantasy series follows Amanda Price: a modern girl with an unsatisfactory love life, who walks through an odd door in her bathroom and finds herself in her favorite novel. Attempting to navigate the plot of “Pride and Prejudice” without Elizabeth Bennet proves difficult, and chaos ensues. It’s all very silly and does strike some wrong notes - surely an Austen fan would have a better grasp on Regency social mores? Overall, though, it’s anarchic fun and worth watching if only for the casting and the set pieces. Gemma Arterton and Alex Kingston are great as Lizzie and Mrs Bennet, although Wickham might be the highlight of this re-telling. Hugh Bonneville’s Mr. Bennet attempting to duel with Bingley also adds good value.

#9: “The Jane Austen Book Club” (2007)

Adapted from the novel by Karen Joy Fowler, “The Jane Austen Book Club” is a real treat for Austen fans. It follows five life-long Janeites and one clueless newbie, who start an “all Jane Austen, all the time” book club. At each meeting they discuss a different book, and echoes of the stories begin to appear in their own lives. There’s a brilliant cast too. Hugh Dancy charms as Grigg - who’s never read a word of Austen at first but makes up for it with a lot of enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Emily Blunt is almost unrecognizable as Prudie, a proper teacher who contemplates an affair with a student. Come for the book club discussions, stay for a warm-hearted rom-com about friendship, families and love.

#8: “Pride + Prejudice + Zombies” (2016)

The concept may sound like blasphemy, but it’s hard not to love “Pride + Prejudice + Zombies.” A genre retelling of Jane Austen’s most beloved novel, it throws the Bennet sisters and their circle into a Regency world ravaged by plagues of the un-dead. Darcy is a colonel now and the Bennets are trained in the arts of war. But they still go about their day to day lives, attend balls and engage in plenty of Jane Austen’s familiar dialogue. The movie has some gorgeous clothes, and the cast is so perfect it almost makes us wish this was a traditional adaptation. But the whole zombie gimmick is loads of fun too. Though unexpected, the interweaving of 19th century romance and campy horror works surprisingly well.

#7: “Becoming Jane” (2007)

Did Jane Austen ever really fall in love? We’ll never know for certain, but “Becoming Jane” imagines a heartbreaking Hollywood romance we can all get invested in for the author. The movie is very loosely inspired by Austen’s real life and draws on characters and scenarios that appear in her letters. The TV movie “Miss Austen Regrets” focuses on the author’s later years. This centers instead on her time with the dashing Tom Lefroy - an Irish gentleman who the young Jane once enjoyed a flirtation with. However little truth is in the tale, it’s easy to believe that Anne Hathaway’s Austen might fall head over heels for Lefroy, as portrayed by James McAvoy.

#6: “Austenland” (2013)

Based on the book by Shannon Hale, “Austenland” follows a Jane Austen superfan who heads to the UK for an immersive Austen experience. This frothy rom-com is unashamedly girly and totally feel-good from beginning to end. It’s playful and irreverent but never mocking. You can tell that the writers and creators love Jane Austen just as much as we do - and the cast were clearly having a whale of a time. Keri Russell stars as the likable heroine, while JJ Feild is perfectly cast as one of her brooding potential suitors. The supporting cast are hilarious and, true to form, Jennifer Coolidge steals the show in almost every scene.

#5: “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” (2012-13)

We’ve had plenty of Jane Austen movies and TV dramas, but “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” was the first web series to successfully tackle the beloved author’s works, winning an Emmy in the process. This take on “Pride and Prejudice” is told in the form of a video blog and finds numerous creative ways to translate the familiar story to the modern day. The episodes, mainly narrated by Lizzie herself, are all less than ten minutes long, but they’re insanely addictive. Before you know it you’re two hours in, telling yourself you really will stop after the next one. And once you’ve consumed all of Lizzie’s content, don’t despair - there’s still “Emma Approved!”

#4: “Bride and Prejudice” (2004)

British-Indian director, Gurinder Chadha, took inspiration from the Bollywood movies she grew up with to bring us this joyful retelling of “Pride and Prejudice” set in modern day India. Aishwarya Rai stars as Lalita Bakshi, who resides with her family in Amritsar. When she first meets Will Darcy - the culturally insensitive heir to a US hotel chain - she’s unimpressed. But of course she soon discovers that he’s not as bad as all that. The movie features all the colorful characters we know so well but it also has a lot to say in its own right. And naturally, it’s jam-packed with feel-good musical numbers to get you up dancing. And for a Hindi-language Austen adaptation, check out “Aisha,” which is inspired by “Emma.”

#3: “Fire Island” (2022)

When writer Joel Kim Booster first visited Fire Island, he took “Pride and Prejudice” with him, and soon started noticing the parallels with his holiday experience. Nineteenth century small-town life might not immediately make you think of the famous LGBTQ+ party island. But if Jane Austen novels tell us anything, it’s that the human experience is universal. Booster stars as Noah, who returns to the vacation spot with his friends annually. Bowen Yang plays Howie - the Jane Bennet of the group - who’s meet-cute with a sweet doctor sets things in motion. That’s where uptight lawyer Will comes in. We know where this is all going, but we love to see it. A fun, diverse rom-com, “Fire Island” is filled with heart and laughs.

#2: “Bridget Jones's Diary” (2001)

So Bridget Jones isn’t exactly Lizzie Bennet, but the classic British rom-com does loosely follow the plot of “Pride and Prejudice.” And the 2004 sequel is inspired by “Persuasion”! Helen Fielding’s era-defining nineties novel introduced us to the loveable Bridget, and the first movie cemented her in the pop culture canon. Our thirty-something heroine navigates the world of workplace romance, smug-marrieds and turkey-curry buffets while being her chaotic but relatable self. Hugh Grant is delightfully smarmy as the Wickham-ish Daniel Cleaver. Meanwhile, Colin Firth reprises his most famous role as a modern day Mr. Darcy, who loves Bridget just the way she is.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Death Comes to Pemberley” (2013)
Lizzie & Darcy Return in This Adaptation of a P.D. James Novel

“From Prada to Nada” (2011)
“Sense and Sensibility” Gets a Modern, Latin Twist

“Metropolitan” (1990)
Whit Stillman Pays Homage to “Mansfield Park”

#1: “Clueless” (1995)

For many Janeites, Amy Heckerling’s masterpiece of a teen rom-com is up there with the best Austen adaptations of all time, and it’s difficult not to agree. A retelling of “Emma” set in Beverly Hills, it captures the essence of the original while also bringing something new and fresh to the table. Alicia Silverstone is perfectly cast as Cher, the clueless, match-making rich girl with more to her than meets the eye. The late Brittany Murphy shines as her protégée, Tai. And has there ever been a more convincing Mr. Knightley than Paul Rudd’s Josh? From the iconic fashion to the quotable script there’s very little to fault in this nineties classic. “Clueless” is definitely a Jane Austen update done right.