Producers of Netflix's new six-part adaptation of Pride and Prejudice have revised their filming schedule after the actor cast as Mr. Darcy, Jack Lowden, became a father, The Mail on Sunday reported Saturday.
According to the report, Lowden's wife, four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, recently gave birth to the couple's first child, keeping the actor away from the set and prompting production to employ lookalikes to film remaining scenes opposite Emma Corrin, who is playing Elizabeth Bennet. The cast also includes Oscar and Emmy winner Olivia Colman.
A source on set told The Mail on Sunday, "It is such lovely news that Jack has become a father and nobody would ever have an issue with him taking paternity leave." The source added that despite the welcome personal development, "the show must go on," a phrase production officials reportedly invoked as they adjusted schedules and planned around the actor's absence.
The Mail on Sunday said producers have altered filming plans for the final sequences to accommodate the temporary absence, using stand-ins and lookalikes when necessary to keep other parts of the shoot moving. The series is being produced for Netflix; officials at the streaming service and the show's production company did not provide comment to the paper in the report.
Under U.K. law, new fathers may be entitled to statutory paternity leave, the report noted, citing the Employment Act 2002. The act grants certain employees the right to time off following the birth of a child; how production applied any formal leave arrangements in this instance was not detailed in the coverage.
The adaptation reunites actors and producers behind recent high-profile television and film projects, with Corrin portraying a modern-screen Elizabeth Bennet opposite Lowden's Mr. Darcy. Production sources told the paper that continuity and logistics became central concerns once Lowden's availability changed, prompting rewrites to the daily shooting plan rather than major changes to the series schedule.
The Mail on Sunday published its account on Sept. 6, 2025. The report did not specify dates for Lowden's expected return to set, and no official statement confirming the timeline or further production details has been released by Netflix or the show's makers. The use of lookalikes to film around an absent principal actor echoes common production practices designed to limit delays while preserving creative and commercial timelines.
The Pride and Prejudice adaptation remains in production for Netflix with a cast that, according to the report, includes Corrin and Colman among its leads. The series is one of several contemporary reimaginings of classic literature for streaming platforms, and the handling of the schedule change underscores industry protocols for accommodating cast personal leave while continuing costly on-location and studio shoots.