Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, which made her the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1921, is getting another adaptation. The novel has been adapted across the stage and the big screen since 1924, with Martin Scorsese’s 1993 film adaptation being one of the most notable. That iteration attracted critical acclaim. For example, Winona Ryder received an Academy Award nomination and won a Golden Globe for her performance as May Welland. This version of The Age of Innocence is the first adaptation for television. Excitingly, it also stars a performer who is no stranger to Edith Wharton’s works and their on-screen adaptations.
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What Is The Age of Innocence About?
The Age of Innocence was Edith Wharton’s eighth novel, though it was originally serially published in four parts in the Pictorial Review magazine in 1920. D. Appleton & Company released Wharton’s work as a book later that year. As previously stated, the following year, 1921, Wharton became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Set in 1870s New York, the time in which Wharton grew up, The Age of Innocence focuses on themes of wealth and social class, with commentary on “old money” and “new money.”
The limited series adaptation has an official synopsis that reads:
Based on Wharton’s classic story of forbidden love in 19th-century New York City, The Age of Innocence follows a passionate and heartrending will-they-or-won’t-they love triangle while exploring themes of freedom, duty, identity, and love in all its forms. The new take promises to be true to Wharton’s novel but will speak to a new generation as it traverses the ballrooms and bedrooms of its young characters, asking what is love — and what is lust. And should we ultimately be driven by our heads, or by our hearts?
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Who Stars in The Age of Innocence?
In September, the streamer announced that Camila Morrone will play Ellen Olenska; Kristine Frøseth will play May Welland; Ben Radcliffe will play Newland Archer; and Margo Martindale will play Mrs. Manson-Mingott. They are The Age of Innocence’s four leads, and their character descriptions are:
- Mary Welland: a kind and genuine woman who is a product of her social class. May is a religious rule follower and a believer in the status quo, but not without a rebellious streak.
- Ellen Olenska: May’s intelligent and independent cousin, who returns to New York after a failed marriage to a Polish nobleman. Ellen is a free spirit who is playful, smart, and strong-willed, yet carries conflict and guilt surrounding her new position in society.
- Newland Archer: a handsome, progressive, and intelligent society gentleman. Newland craves a deeper and more passionate connection to the world, and to someone in it.
- Mrs. Manson-Mingott: May and Ellen’s grandmother, who is entertaining, scurrilous, defiant, capricious, stubborn, and greedy.
In October, The Age of Innocence added series regulars Fiona Glascott as Augusta Welland, May’s mother; Belinda Bromilow as Adeline Archer, Newland’s mother; and Emma Shipp as Janey Archer, Newland’s unmarried sister.
The supporting cast includes Hayley Mills as Louisa van der Luyden, Ryan Morgan as Lawrence Lefferts, Will Tudor as Sillerton Jackson, John Light as Mr. Lovell Mingott, Steven Pacey as John Welland, Kel Matsena as Ned Winsett, Lucia Balordi as Nastasia, Elly Roberts as Edith Mingott, Jack Cutmore-Scott as Julius Beaufort, Anna Madeley as Aunt Medora, and Michael Cochrane as Henry van der Luyden.
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Who Is the Creative Team Behind the Show?
As announced with the series in April, executive producer and showrunner Emma Frost will pen all episodes of the limited series. Meanwhile, executive producer Shannon Murphy will direct The Age of Innocence alongside Lisa Brühlmann and Natalia Leite.
The limited series’ executive producers include Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Tracey Cook of Chernin Entertainment will executive produce. Chernin Entertainment, part of the North Road Company, also executive produces.
When Does The Age of Innocence Premiere?
The Age of Innocence limited series does not have a premiere date on Netflix yet. There are also no updates about when the series will start production. But stay tuned! In the meantime, you can watch Frøseth in another Edith Wharton adaptation for TV – Apple TV+’s take on The Buccaneers.
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Are you looking forward to The Age of Innocence? Let us know in the comments below!
The Age of Innocence will stream on Netflix.
