Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens to play Mr. Darcy in new BBC TV Adaptation of 'Death Comes To Pemberley'?

Rumor has it that Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley, son of character Isobel Crawley) is a favorite to play Mr. Darcy in a new BBC adaptation of P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley, according to UK's Daily Mail (<---Spoiler alert: Do not click on the link, it includes a big spoiler on Matthew Crawley's fate on Downton's Season 3 finale episode! Read this spoiler-free article: Will Dan move from Downton to Pemberley? via UK's The Independent).

UPDATE: BBCOne Commissioned PD James' book Death Comes to Pemberley

BBC1 has commissioned a new 13-part drama series for Saturday nights produced by the creators of Merlin and an adaptation of PD James’ book, Death Comes to Pemberley.

Death Comes to Pemberley is written by Juliette Towhidi (Calendar Girls) and is being made by Origin Pictures.

P.D. James' sequel, Death Comes to Pemberley, reintroduces Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet six years after their wedding day and finds the couple in the middle of a crime investigation. The novel sees Lydia Bennet arrive at Pemberley to announce that her husband Mr Wickham has been killed, and a murder mystery begins.

Filming for the three-part BBC adaptation is set to start this summer.

Other than Dan Stevens (who previously starred in Austen adaptation, the 2008 Sense and Sensibility mini-series), Les Miserables star Eddie Redmayne, War Horse's Tom Hiddleston, Dancing on the Edge's Matthew Goode and Jane Austen's Book Club's Hugh Dancy have all been mentioned in connection with playing Austen's iconic leading man from Pride and Prejudice.

The search for Mr. Darcy is still on, and who ever takes the role will certainly have some pretty big shoes to fill. Previous actors who have played Darcy include Colin Firth (1995 BBC/A&E TV Mini-series), Laurence Olivier (1940 film) and Matthew Macfadyen (2005 film).

While female stars hoping or rather rumored to take on the part of Elizabeth Bennet include Claire Danes (Homeland) and Felicity Jones (Northanger Abbey).

BBC Controller of drama, Ben Stephenson told the Sunday Times: 

'There are certain characters from a book who go way, way beyond the page.

‘And Mr Darcy is absolutely one of them. He is the iconic romantic lead - brooding and intense. The very name "Darcy" has come to mean something beyond Pride and Prejudice alone.’

What do you all think of Dan Stevens as a possible Mr. Darcy? Yay or Nay?

Hmmm, I do not see him as Mr. Darcy at all (I will always think of him as Matthew Crawley, lol)... I think he's more a Mr. Bingley than a Mr. Darcy.