Sydney Sweeney’s New Role Sparks Debate Over Missed Potential
A celebrated novel was once set for a lavish TV adaptation with Florence Pugh and Sofia Coppola. Now, Sydney Sweeney leads a film version—raising questions about what audiences are losing.
Edith Wharton’s celebrated novel, The Custom of the Country, was once on track for a rather grand television adaptation. Sofia Coppola had been attached to direct, with Florence Pugh lined up for the lead. That version, however, never materialised. Instead, the project has shifted gears: a feature film is now in the works, with Sydney Sweeney stepping into the spotlight.
Last year proved something of a rollercoaster for Sweeney. The American Eagle incident and the underwhelming performance of Christy did little to bolster her standing. Yet, the success of The Housemaid offered a reprieve, restoring some faith in her box office draw. Now, with this new adaptation, the question lingers: is this the right move for both Sweeney and the story itself?
From Prestige Series to Feature Film
Josie Rourke is set to direct and adapt Wharton’s tale for the big screen. The production, backed by Studiocanal and Rabbit’s Foot Films, is gearing up to begin filming, with plans for a broad theatrical release across multiple regions. Sweeney will take on the role of Undine Spragg, a determined Midwesterner intent on breaking into high society.
Rourke has spoken with genuine enthusiasm about both the character and her leading actress. In her words:
The Custom of the Country was Wharton’s great American novel and Undine Spragg sweeps across America and through Europe at top speed, during a time of immense economic and social change. The book whistles with modernity and as I was writing this adaptation, Sydney Sweeney lived in my head as this iconic character — it’s as if Wharton sat down a century ago and wrote the role for her.
Sweeney is also on board as a producer, which, at least on paper, marks a significant step in her career. Still, some can’t help but feel the project has lost something in translation from its original form.
What’s Lost in the Shift?
There’s a certain disappointment among fans who recall the initial plan: a limited series, especially one under Coppola’s direction, seemed a perfect fit for Wharton’s intricate social satire. The format would have allowed the story’s complexities to breathe, rather than risk being compressed into a two-hour runtime.
As for casting, Sweeney certainly commands attention on screen, but there’s a sense that Florence Pugh might have brought a different, perhaps more nuanced, energy to Undine. The change in both format and lead has left some wondering what might have been had the original vision come to fruition.
Whether this new adaptation will capture the sharp wit and biting commentary of Wharton’s novel remains to be seen. For now, audiences are left to ponder if a feature film can do justice to a story that once promised so much more.