Netflix has announced a new limited series based on Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Age of Innocence. The announcement was made on World Book Day. Although the project was approved earlier this year, it was kept under wraps until now.
The show will bring Wharton’s story of love, duty, and identity to a global audience. Set in 19th-century New York, it tells the story of a man torn between tradition and passion.
Emma Frost to Lead the Adaptation
Emma Frost will write and lead the new series. She is known for her work on popular historical dramas such as The White Queen and The White Princess. She will serve as both writer and showrunner.
Frost will also be an executive producer alongside Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Tracey Cook. The series is being developed by Chernin Entertainment, a part of the North Road Company.
Production Set to Begin in Fall
Filming is scheduled to start in Europe this fall. Reports say the team has been preparing for several months. Although the public announcement came on World Book Day, the green light for the show happened quietly earlier in the year.
Casting details have not yet been released. However, the production will focus on delivering a fresh version of Wharton’s tale. The series will explore themes such as forbidden love, freedom, and societal pressure.
Global Audience in Focus
The new series is expected to appeal to fans of Bridgerton and similar period dramas. Netflix has seen great success with shows set in historical eras, especially those with romance and drama.
The Age of Innocence may be a quieter story, but its emotional depth and classic style could win over a wide audience. The platform is aiming to blend literature with entertainment that reaches viewers worldwide.
A New Take on a Classic Tale
The 1993 film version of The Age of Innocence, directed by Martin Scorsese, is still remembered by many. It starred Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder, and earned critical acclaim. The film won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
The Netflix version will offer a modern take. It will likely explore the characters in more depth over several episodes. This gives more space to tell the story and connect with a new generation of viewers.
About the Original Novel
The Age of Innocence was written by Edith Wharton and published in 1920. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1921. Wharton was the first woman to receive this award.
The story is about Newland Archer, a young lawyer in New York high society. He is engaged to a proper young woman but falls in love with her cousin, a free-spirited woman with a troubled past. The novel explores the tension between desire and duty in a strict social world.
