I am sure he is definitely capable. Then maybe next time tackle a Henry James too Sam!

Personally I think I'd rather see this sort of story on screen than read it, to be honest. I'm just a little surprised to find there hasn't been a big-screen version of the story before (and, according to IMDB, about half the George Eliot adaptations made were produced during the silent era), although the length of the text is probably a deterrent and I think that, since the mid-90s at least, we've seen that the big screen is no longer really the most suitable venue for adaptations of big Victorian novels like this. You need the space that television gives to stretch out and do the book properly (the 1968 miniseries went five hours, the 1994 one went six). Mendes will probably need to make this film of his at least 2½ hours, maybe even three, and I can't see the studios being thrilled by the prospect of something so long.