What would Mr Darcy say? Jennifer Ehle to star as Carla in Fifty Shades of Grey movie

Ehle, who starred as Elizabeth Bennett in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, will play Anastasia's mother Carla

Jennifer Ehle is due to play Carla in Fifty Shades of Grey (Getty Images)

Jennifer Ehle is to star in the adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.

The actress, who is best-known for portraying Elizabeth Bennett in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in 1995, will play Anastasia Steele’s mother Carla according to Deadline Hollywood.

Carla is described as a self-centred, flighty woman who endlessly tries to turn her hobbies into business ventures.

Her daughter Anastasia, who will be played by Dakota Johnson in the film, describes Carla as having “the attention span of a goldfish”.

Ehle has recently appeared in Zero Dark Thirty, Contagion and George Clooney’s The Ides of March. She also starred in the Oscar-winning film The King’s Speech as speech therapist Lionel Logue’s wife Myrtle.

Sam Taylor-Johnson has signed up to direct the Fifty Shades film, with British actor Charlie Hunnam cast in the lead role as Christian Grey.

The casting announcement of Hunnam and Johnson was met with disappointment by some fans last month, who were expecting better-known actors to take the lead roles.

Dakota Johnson has previously played small roles in films including The Social Network, 21 Jump Street and The Five-Year Engagement.

Hunnam, who appeared in TV series Byker Grove, has also appeared in Children of Men, Cold Mountain and recent blockbuster Pacific Rim.

To date, the Fifty Shades trilogy has sold over 70 million copies worldwide, one of the fastest-selling series of all time.

Universal Pictures and Focus Features secured the multi-million dollar rights last year for the story of the relationship between college student Anastasia Steele and wealthy entrepreneur Christian Grey, who introduces her to S&M.

The film is due for release on 13 February 2015 in the US.