Diana Reid, the screenwriter for Georgia Oakley’s 2026 adaptation of “Sense and Sensibility,” discussed her approach to translating Jane Austen’s novel to screen. The film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles. Reid acknowledged initial hesitation about tackling the material, given the acclaimed 1995 adaptation written by and starring Emma Thompson, which she had watched while growing up. However, upon revisiting the original text, she identified what she believed was an underexplored element: the central love story between the Dashwood sisters.
Reid, primarily known as a novelist, approached her first screenplay work through a literary lens. In condensing the 400-plus-page novel into a two-hour film, certain scenes and characters were omitted to allow greater focus on the sisters’ dynamic. She emphasized that modifications were made deliberately to serve the narrative rather than simply to differentiate her version from the earlier film. Reid was recognized as one of Variety’s 2026 Screenwriters to Watch.
When discussing her adaptation choices, Reid highlighted elements that transferred naturally from page to screen. She noted that the Willoughby character’s relationship with Marianne resonated as surprisingly contemporary, with his behaviors aligning with modern relationship dynamics such as love-bombing and ghosting. Marianne’s impulsive and passionate nature also proved relatable to present-day audiences. Reid also explained three significant modifications: reframing the narrative arc so that the sisters achieve balance between sense and sensibility rather than one yielding to the other, allowing both characters to learn from each other during their coming-of-age journey, and adjusting Colonel Brandon’s backstory to remove problematic age dynamics while preserving his role as an experienced, worldly counterpart to Marianne.
The film is currently in theaters.
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