Principal photography has commenced for season two of the CBC TV series “Anne.”
The series is currently shooting in various locations in P.E.I. and Ontario and will return for 10 episodes in 2018.
Inspired by the young adult novel “Anne of Green Gables’’ by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the second season will continue to chart new territory, adding new characters and storylines while continuing to explore themes of identity, prejudice, feminism, bullying, gender parity and empowerment through the lens of the 14-year-old protagonist.
“Exploring modern topical issues in the world of this beloved character is a thrilling endeavour and I hope this season ignites, unites and inspires young people around the world,’’ said creator and executive producer/showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett.
Part of what is different about this “Anne’’ is that this CBC show tends to draw out some characters that may have had minor roles in the books.
What also separates it from other versions of the story is that this treatment is darker than previous productions.
Walley-Beckett has previously stated that in this day and age, themes of identity, prejudice, bullying, being an outsider, searching for a way to be accepted and how to belong are entirely topical and relevant and that all of those themes are built into the story of “Anne’’.
Walley-Beckett once called her version of Anne as an “accidental feminist’’.
“Anne’’ stars returning fan favourites Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, Geraldine James as Marilla Cuthbert and R.H. Thompson as Matthew Cuthbert. This season will also introduce new characters, including Dalmar Abuzeid as Sebastian and Cory Gruter-Andrew as Cole.
McNulty beat out 1,889 Canadian girls for the role of Anne Shirley-Cuthbert.
“Anne’’ airs outside Canada on Netflix.
The P.E.I. government spent about $150,000 in advertising during season one on the show.
