The Wheel of Time star Dónal Finn will play Mr. Hayward in an upcoming 10-episode adaptation of The Other Bennett Sister, based on the novel by Janice Hadlow, per TV Line. The Other Bennett Sister is take on Jane Austen's classic novel Pride & Prejudice that focuses on Mary Bennett, who is indeed one of the less prominent Bennett sisters; she'll be played by Ella Bruccoleri. Sisters Jane, Lizzie, Kitty and Lydia will be played by Maddie Close, Poppy Gilbert, Molly Wright and Grace Hogg-Robinson. Ruth Jones and Richard E. Grant will play Mary's parents while Indira Varma and Richard Coyle will play her worldly aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.
The story involves Mary living with her aunt and uncle and acting as governess to their three children. In the process, she's introduced to an exciting new social world that includes folks like Mr. Ryder (Laurie Davidson), Ann Baxter (Varada Sethu) and Mr. Hayward, a young lawyer who becomes Mary's suitor.
The Other Bennett Sister is being produced by BritBox and BBC. There's no release date set as of yet, although filming is now underway in Wales. I thought it was worth mentioning for fans of The Wheel of Time, which was cancelled by Amazon after its third season aired earlier this year. That's both because fans might want to see what Dónal Finn can do in another role, and because we're keeping tabs on the ongoing efforts to save The Wheel of Time from cancellation, either by convincing Amazon to change their minds or by finding the show a new home. If Finn is taking another gig, then he wouldn't be availalbe should The Wheel of Time season 4 go into production, right?
Well, like I said, The Other Bennett Sister is going into production right now, and should a miracle happen and The Wheel of Time be revived, production on a new season wouldn't start for a minute, so I don't think it would be a problem. But it does underline an issue: since The Wheel of Time had a huge team behind it, the more time that passes without a new commitment, the more time there is for cast and crew members to find other jobs, and the harder the effort to revive the show becomes. So if it's going to happen, it's better for everyone if it happens soon.
If there are any fans capable of pulling something like this off, it's The Wheel of Time. Head to the SaveWoT website if you're interested in learning more.
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