Rumors are flying that Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens may be up for a choice role in a new sequel to Pride and Prejudice. Downton Abbey spoilers follow.

According to recent reports, Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens seems to be a top name in contention for the role of Darcy in the recently-announced television adaptation of Death Comes to Pemberly. The novel is a contemporary sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, written by crime novelist PD James.

Picking up six years after the end of the original novel, Death Comes to Pemberly brings a murder mystery to the English countryside. The happy and settled Bennet-Darcy-Bingley clan are swept up into a whirlwind of intrigue and drama when, as the title suggests, another original Austen character is revealed to have been murdered. The recently announced serial adaptation will be written by Juliette Towhidi and produced for BBC One. No air date has currently been announced.

Fans of Downton Abbey will be wise to Dan Stevens’ recent availability, which leaves him free to pursue this opportunity. Stevens has featured in Austen-related productions before – he portrayed Edward Ferrars in the 2008 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility – but he may face competition here. Actors Eddie Redmayne and Hugh Dancy are also rumored to be in consideration as potential Darcys in the adaptation. In the meanwhile, Stevens is also under consideration to costar alongside Liam Neeson in A Walk Among the Tombstones, and will appear the Wikileaks-inspired drama The Fifth Estate coming later this year.