Break out the pigtails and set your inner wild child free–Anne of Green Gables, the beloved novel by Canadian author L.M. Montgomery, is coming to Netflix as a two-season series in 2017, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Many book worms (ourselves included) grew up devouring the story of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan finding her way through life after being mistakenly sent to work on a farm (they were expecting a boy). What’s a girl to do? Well, Anne doesn’t go down without a fight and her story unfolds in a series of good deeds and mishaps across her small town. In essence, Anne is pretty much the older sister to great literary characters like Pippi Longstocking and more recently, Hermione Granger. Also like the Harry Potter series, Anne of Green Gables was a massive success for readers young and old when it was first published in 1908. The adventures of this plucky redhead, which carried over into five additional novels about Anne and three separate works about her children and friends, have spurned multiple TV series and film adaptations across the decades.
Notably, the 1979 Japanese film Akage no An (“Red-Haired Anne”) was directed by Studio Ghibli‘s own Isao Takahata, who will be producing the upcoming film, The Red Turtle. Anne fever has been a global fandom for over a century, with over 50 millions copies of the book sold worldwide. Japanese fans in particular spare no expense when it comes to Anne cosplay and there’s even an Anne Academy for followers in Fukuoka, plus a theme park in Hokkaido dedicated to this Canadian novel. Here in America, many elementary and intermediate schools have long since added Anne of Green Gables to their list of required reading. But don’t worry, this Netflix series can be enjoyed on its own and doesn’t come attached with a book report–it might even go beyond the novel with a few tidbits focusing on the story’s themes of bullying, prejudice, and self-identify.
It goes without saying that this tale for the ages demands a strong creative force. Thankfully the series, entitled Anne, will boast an all-star (and all female!) team of Breaking Bad‘s brilliant writer Moira Walley-Beckett, producer Miranda de Pencier from the indie hit Beginners, and Whale Rider director Niki Caro. The show will include eight one-hour episodes in the first season, shot on location to match the charming town of Anne’s imagination, Prince Edward Island.
Kindred spirits, let us know your thoughts on this Netflix adaptation and tell us your favorite Anne moments in the comments below!
Image:Â Sullivan Entertainment
