Netflix’s 'Pride and Prejudice' gives Jane Austen’s iconic opening line to Olivia Colman’s Mrs Bennet

Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Pride and Prejudice will finally bring Jane Austen’s iconic opening line to the screen, with Olivia Colman’s Mrs Bennet delivering the famous words in the new trailer.

The line, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife,” opens Austen’s 1813 novel and has become one of the most recognisable sentences in literary history.

Despite the book’s numerous film and television adaptations, the line has never previously been spoken on screen. In the new Netflix series, screenwriter Dolly Alderton has given it to Mrs Bennet, the family matriarch played by Colman.

Alderton explained that the decision was rooted in the character’s constant preoccupation with finding husbands for her five daughters.

“It’s the central drama of her story,” Alderton said. “It’s all she’s thinking about, it’s a preoccupation that any time a single man comes into her orbit she’s thinking this might be safety for all of my daughters this might be salvation not just for one of them but for all of us.”

She added that the line felt most natural coming from Mrs Bennet because marriage and the future of her daughters are always on her mind.

The new trailer offers a closer look at the adaptation, with Emma Corrin playing Elizabeth Bennet and Jack Lowden portraying Mr Darcy. Corrin’s Elizabeth appears to carry the spirited defiance associated with the character, while Lowden’s Darcy is shown as an intense and reserved romantic lead.

The trailer also features Jamie Demetriou as Mr Collins, the pompous clergyman who seeks to marry Elizabeth. In one scene, he insists that he does not need advice on how to charm a young woman before accidentally knocking over a table of glasses.

The six-part series follows the Bennet sisters as they navigate love, family and society’s expectations in Regency-era England. When wealthy bachelors arrive in their neighbourhood, Jane Bennet falls for the charming Mr Bingley, while Elizabeth clashes with his proud friend Darcy.

The cast also includes Rufus Sewell as Mr Bennet, Freya Mavor as Jane Bennet, Daryl McCormack as Mr Bingley, Louis Partridge as Mr Wickham and Siena Kelly as Caroline Bingley.

Alderton initially felt hesitant about adapting Austen’s beloved novel, describing it as a responsibility she was unsure she could take on. She later came to see the project as an honour and an opportunity to revisit a story that has continued to resonate across generations.

The screenwriter said the emotions at the heart of Pride and Prejudice remain relevant today, including embarrassment about family, fear of being left behind, anxiety about the future and the experience of misjudging someone.

“We go to that book to see our hearts reflected in it,” she said.

The new adaptation marks the first major screen version of Austen’s novel since Joe Wright’s 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. The 1995 BBC miniseries, featuring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, remains another widely celebrated adaptation.

Netflix’s Pride and Prejudice will premiere on December 3, 2026.