Written by Gwyneth Hughes (Dark Angel, The Girl, Miss Austen Regrets) and produced by Mammoth Screen and Amazon Studios, the drama will star Bates Motel’s Olivia Cooke as Becky Sharp.
Hughes’ adaptation is set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars and follows Becky as she attempts to claw her way out of poverty and scale the heights of English Society.
Her story of “villainy, crime, merriment, lovemaking, jilting, laughing, cheating, fighting and dancing”, takes her all the way to the court of King George IV, via the Battle of Waterloo, breaking hearts and losing fortunes as she goes.
ITV’s drama boss Polly Hill said: “Vanity Fair feels like the perfect classic to adapt for ITV, and Gwyneth Hughes’ stunning scripts bring the novel to life in a way that will really connect with a modern audience.
“The question was always who would be our perfect Becky Sharp and that is undoubtedly Olivia Cooke! So we are thrilled she has agreed to play Becky, in what promises to be a very exciting new drama for ITV next year.”
