RISING STAR AMYBETH MCNULTY LANDS ICONIC LEAD ROLE AS BELOVED ANNE SHIRLEY IN THE NEW NETFLIX AND CBC DRAMATIC SERIES "ANNE"

Northwood Entertainment confirms production is underway for a spring 2017 premiere

Award-winning actors Geraldine James and R.H. Thomson to star as Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert

October 21, 2016 - After an extensive global casting search, Northwood Entertainment, Netflix and CBC today announced that young rising star Amybeth McNulty has been cast as the precocious and imaginative Anne Shirley in the highly anticipated new dramatic television series ANNE (8 x 60). Based on Lucy Maud Montgomery's timeless classic novel Anne of Green Gables, ANNE began production in Prince Edward Island in September and has now moved to Ontario, Canada.

"We auditioned over 1,889 girls from around the globe for the inspiring and complex role of Anne. We are thrilled to have found the incredibly versatile and delightful Amybeth McNulty to play this world-renowned heroine alongside the rest of our brilliant cast," says executive producer Miranda de Pencier.

Fourteen-year-old Irish Canadian actress Amybeth McNulty was raised in Donegal, Ireland. She started acting at the early age of six, and has appeared in numerous productions on stage and on screen including in the feature film Morgan starring Kate Mara and in the television series Agatha Raisin for Sky and The Sparticle Mystery for CBBC in the UK. A trained singer, Amybeth also starred in London's acclaimed Regent's Park production of The Sound of Music.

"Amybeth is a wonderful and sensitive actress who embodies all of Anne's qualities. She's soulful and inquisitive, mercurial and passionate. Her ability to convey pain and joy is breathtaking," says showrunner and executive producer Moira Walley-Beckett. "Amybeth is Anne for a new generation."

Also starring as the siblings who adopt Anne, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, are Tony and four-time BAFTA nominee Geraldine James OBE (Sherlock Holmes, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and multiple award-winning veteran Canadian stage and television actor, Governor General Award recipient R.H. Thomson (Chloe, The Englishman's Boy).

ANNE is a coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for love and acceptance and her place in the world. The series centers on a young orphaned girl in the late 1890s who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an aging sister and brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform their lives and eventually the entire small town in which they live with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination.

While the new series will honour the foundation of the novel held as a Canadian treasure and global phenomenon (Anne of Green Gables has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide), ANNE will also chart new territory. Anne and the rest of the characters will experience adventures reflecting timeless and topical issues including themes of identity, feminism, bullying and prejudice.

As previously announced, award-winning Director Niki Caro (Whale Rider, McFarland USA, Zookeeper's Wife) is helming the two-hour premiere episode.

Three-time Emmy(R) Award and Golden Globe winner Moira Walley-Beckett (Breaking Bad, Flesh & Bone) is penning the entire first season of the series and serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside executive producer Miranda de Pencier (Beginners, Thanks for Sharing), under her Northwood Entertainment banner.

Alison Owen (Saving Mr. Banks) and Debra Hayward (Bridget Jones Diary, Les Misérables) are also attached to executive produce and Susan Murdoch will produce.

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About Northwood Entertainment

Northwood Entertainment is an independent film and television production company formed with a mission to create a thriving home for filmmakers with singular voices to reach broad audiences. The company's slate mixes film and television from both established and emerging talent.

About Netflix

Netflix is the world's leading Internet television network with over 86 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada's trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective.