War and Peace on TV

The BBC recently posted a bunch of casting news about Andrew Davies's upcoming adaptation of War and Peace. Davies is best known for his widely beloved 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, but his record of thoughtful literary adaptations is inconsistent, and I have some biiiiig concerns about his take on War and Peace. Also... does he really think Natasha Rostova is really "the most appealing heroine in literature"? And why is Lily James suddenly getting cast in everything? It's not just because she looks good in a corset and already speaks with an English accent, is it?