ISLAMABAD: US production houses Traveling Picture Show Company (TPSC) and Rising Tides have joined forces with Pakistan’s Hum Network for the screen adaptation of Soniah Kamal’s bestselling novel “Unmarriageable,” a literary adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” Variety has exclusively reported. 

Sadia Ashraf wrote the script and will direct alongside James McMillan, whose credits as a cinematographer include Avengers: Endgame and A Quiet Place: Part One. It marks a rare Western production to film entirely in Pakistan. Principal photography is slated to commence in early 2025 in Pakistan.

“Unmarriageable” transplants Jane Austen‘s themes to contemporary Pakistan, following the Binat family’s five daughters as they navigate modern life and South Asian courtship.

“We, along with our great partners, are thrilled to bring this beloved story to the big screen and to showcase the beauty and complexity of Pakistani culture to English-language audiences around the world,” Carissa Buffel, producer and partner at TPSC, told Variety. 

Kamal, the novelist, said her book “deals with the intricacies of navigating relationships, identity, and happily-ever-after’s – universal experiences shared by women explored through a unique lens.”

“We want to challenge stereotypes about Pakistan by showing authentic cultural diversity on screen through comedy, fashion and colors set in a rich architectural heritage rarely offered to American audiences,” Ashraf, the screenwriter and director, told Variety. 

“We are excited to partner with Traveling Picture Show Company and Rising Tides on our first American film,” said Sultana Siddiqui, the founder of Hum Network. “The film will showcase the vibrant lifestyle of Pakistani women, while also furthering Hum Network’s mission of sharing empowering female stories with a brand-new audience.”

TPSC’s credits include Sony’s Freud’s Last Session, Universal’s A Walk Among The Tombstones and A24’s The Blackcoat’s Daughter.

Founded by Ashraf, Rising Tides Films focuses on female-driven narratives and untold diverse stories. The company recently launched animated short Tomorrow and is developing around 20 film and television projects from cultures typically underrepresented on screen.

Hum Network is Pakistan’s female-led 24-hour entertainment TV channel founded by Sultana Siddiqui and her son Duraid Qureshi. Hum has produced hundreds of TV series with 700 hours of original programming annually for the last 18 years.