Lifetime is putting a contemporary spin on a literary classic with Pride and Prejudice: Atlanta, which reimagines Jane Austen’s iconic novel as a church-based drama in present-day Georgia, TVLine has learned.
Pride and Prejudice: Atlanta stars Jackee Harry (Sister, Sister) as preacher’s wife Mrs. Bennet, the author of a self-help book on how to find the perfect husband. Because of this, she isn’t pleased that her own daughters — Lizzie (Hit the Floor‘s Tiffany Hines, Jane (Being Mary Jane‘s Raney Branch), Mary (The Purge‘s Brittney Level), Lydia (Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta‘s Reginae Carter) and Kitty (newcomer Alexia Bailey) — remain single. That’s when Mrs. Bennet happens upon the oh-so-eligible Will Darcy (Empire‘s Juan Antonio), whom she tries to match with eldest daughter Lizzie. Reginald VelJohnson (Family Matters) also stars as family patriarch Reverend Bennet.
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Additional cast members include Kellee Stewart (Midnight, Texas) as Lizzie’s friend Charlotte, Victoria Rowell (The Young and the Restless) as Will’s aunt Catherine and Keshia Knight Pulliam (The Cosby Show) as snarky socialite Caroline. The film is produced by Big Dreams Entertainment and Swirl Films. Executive producers include Leslie Greif, Naomi Despres and Tracy McMillan. Eric Tomosunas and Alex Kerr will produce, Rhonda Baraka will direct and Tracy McMillan will write.
Lifetime has also ordered the movie Very Valentine, based on Adriana Trigiani’s Valentine Trilogy books, which follows a family-owned shoe store in Greenwich Village on the brink of financial collapse. Kelen Coleman (Big Little Lies) stars as Valentine Roncalli, the granddaughter of master artisan Teodora Angelini (played by Nip/Tuck‘s Jacqueline Bisset), who steps up to save the family business.
“Juggling unpredictable love lives, duty to their family, and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine and Teodora are on a quest to build a pair of glorious shoes sure to beat their rivals,” reads the official synopsis. “Also, in the course of discovering her true artistic voice, Valentine discovers true love as she turns her life and the business upside down in ways she never expected.”
Very Valentine is being produced in Bulgaria by Judith Verno and Sony Pictures Television. Larry Sanitsky serves is executive-producing, Menhaj Huda (Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance) is directing and the script is being written by Trigiani.
Do either of these projects sound like something you’ll check out? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.
