NetFlix’s 'Anne of Green Gables' series arrives May 12
“Anne of Green Gables” will see its latest TV adaptation, just called “Anne,” come to Netflix on May 12, 2017. The series, based on a beloved and popular children’s book by Lucy Maud Montgomery, will star Amybeth McNulty in the title role, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The novel was published in 1908 and has sold tens of millions of copies and has been adapted several times for television over the years. Montgomery wrote a number of sequels and an authorized sequel and prequel were published after her death.
“Anne of Green Gables” is set in 1890 and relates the adventures of Anne Shirley, a young orphan girl who is mistakenly adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, an elderly brother and sister who live on a farm called the Green Gables on Prince Edward Island in Canada near the fictional town of Avonlea, They thought they were getting a boy to help with the farm work. Instead, they got Anne, a high-spirited girl who has lived her entire life in orphanages and the homes of strangers being abused, for the most part.
The story depicts how Anne goes to school, makes both friends and enemies, and blossoms eventually into a young woman. She deals with life’s joys and tragedies with humor and courage. Anne is, however, very sensitive about her red hair.
The book has been adapted into films, TV series, stage plays, and even a web series and Japanese anime. The story has inspired tourism on Prince Edward Island with a theme park based around a replica of the Green Gables farm. The book is taught in schools all over the world.
Montgomery used some notes she made for the story’s premise as a young girl and based the story of Anne on some of her experiences growing up on Prince Edward Island in the late 19th century. She used a photograph of the chorus girl Evelyn Nesbitt as a basis for Anne’s physical appearance and the real-life town of New London as a model for Avonlea.
The Netflix series was adapted by Moira Walley-Beckett, whose previous writing credits include “Breaking Bad.” The two-hour premiere episode was directed by Nik Caro, best known for “Whale Rider.” Geraldine James plays Marilla, R. H. Thomson plays Michael, Lucas Jade Zumann plays Anne’s frenemy Gilbert, and Dalila Bela plays her best friend, Diana. The eight-episode series will run on the Canadian Broadcasting while Netflix will carry it live streaming in the rest of the world.
