Sci-fi 'Pride and Prejudice' in the works

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Elton John's Rocket Pictures production company is working on "Pride and Predator," a film that drops space aliens into Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."

Variety.com said Will Clark is set to start shooting the latest adaptation of the period romance in London this year.

"Pride and Predator" will feature an alien who crash lands in Regency-era England and butchers some of Austen's most beloved characters, the entertainment industry trade newspaper said.

Pop star Elton John is serving as executive producer and will supervise the music on the film.

His Rocket Pictures partners Steve Hamilton Shaw and David Furnish are producing.

"It felt like a fresh and funny way to blow apart the done-to-death Jane Austen genre by literally dropping this alien into the middle of a costume drama, where he stalks and slashes to horrific effect," Furnish told Variety.com.

Colin Firth starred in a wildly popular BBC miniseries version of "Pride and Prejudice" in 1995, then reprised his iconic Mr. Darcy role in "Bridget Jones's Diary" and its sequel "Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason," a modern take on the Austen classic. Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen starred in a 2005 big-screen version of "Pride & Prejudice" and Bollywood offered its own musical adaptation of the tale, "Bride & Prejudice," in 2004.