Jane Austen Persuasion gets the Netflix treatment in new adaptation starring Dakota Johnson - but some fans aren't happy

Jane Austen's classic Persuasion is coming to Netflix and fans cannot contain their excitement. However, many are complaining that Dakota Johnson's depiction of the main character Anne Elliot is a little off.

We can all fight over the best period dramas and book-to-movie adaptations that have a historical setting - but most will agree that Jane Austen's stories are a delight to read and watch. Dakota, who's dating Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, is finding out just how precious fans of the genre can really be.

Dakota was clearly destined for the big screen, as she comes from a line of Hollywood actors. Her grandmother Tippi Hedren was one of Alfred Hitchcock's 'tragic blondes' and starred in The Birds and Marnie. Dakota's mother, Melanie Griffith, starred in Working Girls.

Persuasion was Austen’s sixth and final novel, which was published six months after her death in 1817. It tells the story of Austen’s oldest heroine, Anne, who, at 27, finds herself living with her insufferable relatives and pining after a lost love. What ensues is a whole load of romance, drama, and dry humor - the makings of a perfect period drama, or is it?

Some Jane Austen Persuasion fans are a bit miffed with the streaming giant after the trailer dropped. The first look at the adaptation, released on July 15, 2022, reveals a less than traditional look for Anne, inaccurate dialect, and what some people say is a less than perfect English accent.

One Austen fan tweeted, "Not to be a pedant but I'm pretty sure no one in 1813 or whenever used the expression 'exes.'" Another added, "this isn't anne or wentworth, you've changed their whole personalities and they're now different characters. they're literally unrecognizable."

Another hilariously commented on the Netflix (opens in new tab)trailer, "I’m sorry but Dakota Johnson has the face of someone who knows what an iPhone is."

Directed by Carrie Cracknell, the Netflix adaptation also stars actors including Cosmo Jarvis, Henry Golding, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Mia McKenna-Bruce, and national treasure Richard E. Grant.

Although some fans have taken umbrage at the Jane Austen Persuasion trailer, that's not to say there aren't some who are delighted. Also, it is described as a, “modern, witty approach,” to the classic.

One fan tweeted, "just watched the persuasion trailer and 1. why are ppl so mad abt an adaptation taking creative liberties 2. if dakota johnson chooses that ugly little man over henry golding i swear."

Although it remains to be seen how popular the adaptation will be, it's clear that - just like the fickle characters often seen in Austen's novels - there's just no pleasing some people!