Sense and Sensibility stars lead Sydney Australian premiere – Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles joined Sydney-born screenwriter Diana Reid for the Australian premiere of Sense and Sensibility at HOYTS Entertainment Quarter on Thursday night.
The red-carpet stop puts an Australian creative at the centre of this new Jane Austen adaptation: Reid wrote the screenplay, while the film’s two leads brought the finished production to Sydney audiences before its 15 October cinema release.
Universal Pictures hosted the event as the final stop on the stars’ Australian publicity tour. Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles met fans, posed for photographs and spoke to media before joining Reid to introduce the film in two packed cinemas. The two actors are due to continue the global rollout in the United States.
A new adaptation with an Australian screenwriter
Reid, whose books include Love & Virtue, Seeing Other People and Signs of Damage, has adapted Austen’s novel for director Georgia Oakley. Focus Features and Working Title are behind the film, which is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, India Flint and Jo Wallett.
The story follows Mrs Dashwood and her daughters Elinor, Marianne and Margaret after the death of her husband leaves them without their family estate, Norland Park. The property passes to John Dashwood, his son from a previous marriage, and the women relocate to the more modest Barton Cottage.
Elinor has developed feelings for Edward Ferrars, John’s brother-in-law, making the move particularly difficult for her. Marianne, meanwhile, falls for John Willoughby after an unexpected meeting. Her passionate response concerns Elinor, who also sees Colonel Brandon’s devotion to Marianne. The sisters’ different approaches to love are tested by relocation, heartbreak and the expectations placed on them.
Cast and Sydney premiere gallery
Alongside Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles, the cast includes Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, Herbert Nordrum, George MacKay and Fiona Shaw. The premiere brought members of the film and entertainment industry together with local guests and fans at the Entertainment Quarter.
Guests were welcomed with Nyetimber sparkling wine, while Estée Lauder provided samples of its Glimmer fragrance. The event also gave Sydney audiences a chance to see the cast and writer present the film in person before its wider Australian opening.
Sense and Sensibility opens in Australian cinemas on Thursday, 15 October 2026. For more film coverage, explore TV Central’s movie previews, and find cinema information through Universal Pictures Australia.
