PBS long-running anthology series Masterpiece has announced that hit dramaSanditonhas been renewed for both a second and third season. That’s quite the turnaround after the show was initially canceled by original network ITV in December 2019, a month before it even premiered stateside. United Kingdom-based streaming service BritBox has stepped in to partner up with PBS in producing the next two seasons, which will initially run on the aforementioned platforms before circling back around and airing on ITV at a later date.
Based onJane Austen’s final unfinished manuscript, of which she managed to complete eleven chapters before her death in July 1817, the story uses the author’s work as a jumping-off point to continue the adventures ofRose Williams’ naive young heroine Charlotte Heywood as she gets to grips with life in the titular seaside town after arriving there by a chance accident.
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Masterpiece executive producerSusanne Simpsonwas thrilled to let fans know thatSanditonwill be picking up right from where the Season 1 finale’s cliffhanger left off, with the next two outings for the show set to give the people exactly what they want:
“We are absolutely delighted to announce a second and third season of Sanditon, a show that has inspired such a passionate and devoted fan base. Audiences can expect romance, humor and plenty of twists and turns in these new seasons of Sanditon.”
Sanditonwas created byAndrew Davies, who is no stranger to literary adaptations, having developed televised versions ofPride and Prejudice,Vanity Fair,Les MisérablesandWar & Peaceamong others during a lengthy and distinguished career, while he also co-wrote the screenplay forPaul W.S. Anderson’sThe Three Musketeers. However,Justin Young, who wrote four ofSanditon’s first eight episodes, will take over showrunning duties moving forward, although Davies will remain on board as an executive producer and part of the writing team.
Sanditonalso co-starsTheo James,Kate Ashfield,Crystal Clarke,Turlough Convery,Jack Fox,Kris Marshall,Matthew Needham,Anne Reid,Alexandra Roach,Lily Sacofsky,Charlotte Spencer,Mark StanleyandLeo Suteras series regulars, with filming on Season 2 set to begin later this year.
No additional casting has been confirmed for the new season apart from Williams, but stay tuned to Collider where we’ll report more on this exciting renewal as well as an official Season 2 premiere date forSanditon.
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