Claim: Becoming Jane is based on a Jon Hunter Spence book.

Becoming Jane is a 2007 British-Irish biographical romantic drama film directed by Julian Jarrold . It depicts the early life of the English author Jane Austen and her lasting love for Thomas Langlois Lefroy . American actress Anne Hathaway stars as the title character , while her romantic interest is played by Scottish actor James McAvoy . Also appearing in the film are Julie Walters , James Cromwell and Maggie Smith . The film was produced in cooperation with several companies , including Ecosse Films and Blueprint Pictures . It also received funding from the Irish Film Board and the UK Film Council Premiere Fund .   The film is partly based on the 2003 book Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Hunter Spence , who was also hired as historical consultant . The final screenplay , developed by Sarah Williams and Kevin Hood , pieced together some known facts about Austen into a coherent story , in what co-producer Graham Broadbent called `` our own Austenesque landscape . '' According to Hood , he attempted to weave together `` what we know about Austen 's world from her books and letters , '' and believed Austen 's personal life was the inspiration for Pride and Prejudice . Jarrold began production of the film in early 2006 , opting to shoot primarily in Ireland as he found it had better-preserved locations than Hampshire , England , where Austen was raised .   Released firstly in the United Kingdom on 9 March 2007 and in other countries later in the year , Becoming Jane earned approximately $ 37 million worldwide . The film received mixed reviews from critics . Hathaway 's performance received mixed critical reception , with some reviewers negatively focusing on her nationality and accent . Commentators and scholars have analysed the presence of Austen characters and themes within the film , and also noted the implementation of mass marketing in the film 's release .