Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Rom-Com ‘Jane Austen Wrecked My Life’ Before Toronto Bow

Sony Pictures Classics has swooped in to acquire key world rights to Laura Piani’s debut feature Jane Austen Wrecked My Life ahead of a Sept. 9 world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

The U.S. specialty distributor will release the romantic comedy from France in North America, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, about an aspiring author, Agathe, who finds herself in romantic entanglements straight from the pages of Jane Austen novels, stars Camille Rutherford, Pablo Pauly, Charlie Anson and Annabelle Lengronne.  

“We are thrilled to see this film entrusted to Sony Pictures Classics, a studio with a rich history of bringing Jane Austen’s world to life on screen. Their extensive experience with such stories ensures that Laura Piani’s debut will be handled with the utmost care and expertise. We look forward to the film’s journey and are confident that it will be a worthy addition to SPC’s distinguished legacy,” The Bureau Sales, which negotiated the distribution deal with Sony Pictures Classics, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The film has writer-director Piani drawing inspiration from Austen’s classic novels, while giving the romantic comedy a contemporary spin.

“We have been interested in this project for some time. Jane Austen has become a bit of a rock star in the marketplace and a new modern take as high in quality and warm and winning as Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, as directed by debut filmmaker, Laura Piani, is sure to be embraced by theatrical audiences,” Sony Pictures Classics said in its own statement.

The film is produced by Gabrielle Dumon and is financed in part by French broadcasters CANAL+ and CINÉ. The Bureau Sales is handling international sales.