‘Anne of Green Gables’ Adapted Again as ‘Anne’ Miniseries on Netflix Release Date and News

Aug 24, 2016 11:37 AM EDT

The 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud (L.M.) Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, is one of those works that will always be with us.  The book and its sequels have been adapted several times, starting as a silent film in 1919.  Then it has had several other movies, TV shows, and even an animated television series in 1979.  There will be another adaptation with Anne on Netflix, which will be an eight-hour miniseries.  This is what is known about Anne release date and news. 

According to CNET, the first season of Anne will be written by Moira Walley-Beckett.  If that name sounds familiar to you, then you probably remember the name with some Elemental Symbols from the Breaking Bad credits.  Walley-Becket won an Emmy for her work on her episode "Ozymandias", which Breaking Bad's creator Vince Gilligan calls "the best episode we ever had or ever will have". 

By the way, Walley-Beckett was the first solo woman to win that award.  The director of that episode was Rian Johnson, who is about to get a career boost as he is the director of Star Wars: Episode VIII

Netflix will air the miniseries, and it is partnering with a Canadian broadcast of the new show by CBC next year.  The two-hour premiere episode will be directed by Niki Caro, the  director of Whale Rider and North Country

It is possible that this could be an edgier version of the classic story that normally is marketed for family viewing.  TV Line reports that Anne will integrate new adventures into the beloved story, tackling issues of "identity, sexism, bullying, prejudice, and trusting one's self". 

This story is one of the Anne Shirley, an orphan who finds herself in the care of two elderly siblings on Prince Edward Island.  This real-life place in Cavendish is a great tourist trap, with a farmhouse and forests labeled as attractions. 

So, does this mean that it won't be accurate to the source material?  There are more than ten books in this series.  The first six books focus on Anne within the ages of 11-40.  Then there are three more books that focus on Anne's children, and the last one, The Blythes Are Quoted, wan't published until 2009.  These books focused on Anne as she is 40-75, and then Anne has some more books with Chronicles of Avonlea and Further Chronicles of Avonlea, with even a prequel with Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson in 2008, with authorization from the L.M. Montgomery family. 

The filming of Anne is scheduled to begin in Ontario in September, and it will probably appear on Netflix and Canadian TV a year from now.