The perennially freckled and red-haired Anne Shirley will return to television in 2008, with a new three-hour movie set to debut on CTV.
"To say that we are excited about bringing the Anne of Green Gables franchise to CTV would be an understatement!" said Kevin Sullivan, president of Sullivan Entertainment.
"Ivan Fecan and I created the "Avonlea/Family Hour" franchise on CBC in the early 90s and together we made it into one of Canada's most successful weekly television events."
In addition to the film, CTV has acquired the entire "Anne" catalogue, including the original 1985 mini-series.
The movie is a prequel to the "Anne of Green Gables" series, entitled "Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning."
Picked from over 1,000 hopefuls, Toronto native Hannah Endicott-Douglas will play the new Anne.
The search for the star included an open casting call on YouTube and a cross-Canada audition tour that lasted for three months. Sullivan, an award winning filmmaker, personally selected the winner.
Endicott-Douglas has also appeared in "The Good Witch" and "Samantha: An American Girl."
Academy Award nominee Barbara Hershey will also appear in the film as Anne later in life, in her 50s. Rachel Blanchard also stars as Louise.
Sullivan has written a completely new screenplay for the three hour movie, which follows Anne's life before arriving at Green Gables. Sullivan is also directing and executive producing the feature.
"Anne of Green Gables is an enduring and endearing worldwide franchise," said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc.
"We welcome Anne with great respect and look forward to the world premiere of 'A New Beginning' on CTV."
CTV's acquisition includes:
- Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (TV Movie, three hours)
- Anne of Green Gables; Anne of Green Gables - The Sequel; Anne of Green Gables - The Continuing Story (Mini-Series; 13 hours)
- Road to Avonlea (TV Series; 91 hours)
- Road to Avonlea Christmas (TV Movie; two hours)
- Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series (TV Series; 13 hours)
- Anne, Journey to Green Gables (Animated Feature, two hours)
- The Magic Flute Diaries (Feature, two hours)
- Mozart Decoded - The Magic Flute Diaries Documentary (Documentary, 1 hour)
- Anne Trilogy Documentary (Documentary, 1 hour)
"Anne of Green Gables" and "Road to Avonlea" have been broadcast in over 140 countries around the world and have won numerous awards including four Emmys, the George Foster Peabody Award, CableAce Awards and numerous Gemini's.
"Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel" originally aired in 1987 and has remained the highest rated mini-series ever to air in Canada with an audience of 5.4 million.
