CBC
It's been 27 years since the "Anne of Green Gables" miniseries first aired on CBC, but now Prince Edward Island's resident redhead is poised for a big comeback.
A new TV adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's tale about a fiery orphan in P.E.I. is in the works, the Toronto Star reports.
"It's been almost 30 years since Anne was on television in a miniseries," said Kate Macdonald Butler, the author's granddaughter and president of Heirs of L.M. Montgomery. "It's really time for a new interpretation."
It also helps that a new interpretation is legal now.
In the 1980s, Kevin Sullivan's production company bought the rights to Montgomery's books so that he could direct the original 1985 miniseries "Anne of Green Gables," which launched Canadian star Megan Follows to fame. Sullivan also created the 1987 sequel "Anne of Avonlea" and the much-beloved Sarah Polley series "Road to Avonlea."
However, in 1999, Montgomery's family held a news conference in which they accused Sullivan of withholding profits from "Green Gables" and "Avonlea." In response, he countersued for defamation, claiming the movies didn't make any money. In 2004, a judge dismissed Sullivan's suit, calling him "was one of the most evasive witnesses I have encountered."
Regardless, Montgomery's heirs couldn't reclaim the rights to the series until 2008.
Toronto-based television company Breakthrough Entertainment has been hired for the reboot and is reportedly in the midst of interviewing writers for the 13-part series, slated for production next summer.
"Anne of Green Gables" redux is set to be officially announced today at the Banff World Media Festival, taking place this week in Banff, Alta.
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