"Anne of Green Gables," the classic coming of age tale about a plucky orphan, is getting another television adaptation, this time from the folks at Netflix: The streaming service has ordered a new series based on the books by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

The series, simply titled "Anne," will be written by Emmy winner Moira Walley-Beckett ("Breaking Bad") and directed by Niki Caro ("Whale Rider"), and co-produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. A famous miniseries based on the novels was previously aired by the CBC in the 1980s, and launched several spinoff movies and another TV series, "Avonlea."

There's no official premiere date yet, but "Anne" is set to be broadcast on CBC, and will also hit Netflix in its entirety. Both events are slated for sometime in 2017; it's unclear if they will occur simultaneously, or if the CBC airdate will occur first.

"Anne" will launch with a two-hour series premiere, and feature eight episodes. Like the books and the previous miniseries, it will focus on 13-year-old Anne Shirley, an orphan who is mistakenly sent to live with an elderly woman and her brother; she winds up winning over her unlikely adopters, as well as the rest of the rural Canadian town where she settles.

The 1985 CBC version, starring Megan Follows and the late Jonathan Crombie, is still considered the gold standard as far as "Anne" adaptations go, but we're excited to see what Walley-Beckett and co. do with the beloved material. Stay tuned.

[via: The Hollywood Reporter]

Photo credit: anneofgreengables.com