The First Trailer for Emma is Witty & Winning
Director Autumn de Wilde has updated Jane Austen’s seminal novel “Emma” for the big screen, and now we’ve got our first look. Focus Features has just released the first trailer for Emma, starring the always excellent Anya Taylor-Joy as Austen’s iconic heroine. Austen has been, of course, a much-beloved writer by filmmakers for years now. Her works have been adapted, again and again, for screens big and small, by talented directors from Whit Stillman to Joe Wright. Now de Wilde has added her name to the list, revisiting Austen’s 1815 novel about a precocious would-be matchmaker and the intrigues she helps create. The first glimpse looks very promising.
Emma explores the world of Emma Woodhouse (Taylor-Joy), a very voluble, sociable young lady who thinks of herself as a 19th-century cupid who wants to find her friends and families the perfect matches. While her heart’s in the right place, Emma’s well-intentioned meddling gets her and her friends into troubles profound and profoundly funny. Joining Taylor-Joy are Mia Goth as Emma’s best friend Harriet Smith; Johnny Flynn as Mr. Knightley, a close family friend of Emma’s family who is both a potential suitor and Emma’s sounding board; the always delightful Billy Nighy plays Emma’s father, Mr. Woodhouse; Gemma Whelan is Mrs. Weston; Josh O’Connor is the clergyman Mr. Elton; and Callum Turner is your fetching rake Frank Churchill, who will become a source of intrigue and trouble for Emma.
The period details are all in line with Austen’s novel, but de Wilde looks to have made something really fun and spirited without trying to yank Emma out of its historical context. The costumes and the production design look ravishing, while the cast seems to be having a ball. The trailer bounces merrily along with the wit and charm you want (and right now, you might need) from an Austen adaptation.
Emma arrives in theaters on February 21, 2020. Check out the trailer here:
Featured image: Mia Goth (left) as “Harriet Smith” and Anya Taylor-Joy (right) as “Emma Woodhouse” in director Autumn de Wilde’s EMMA, a Focus Features release. Credit: Focus Features
