John Kent Harrison To Direct Two-Hour Original Movie Based On Script by Screenwriter Susan Coyne
13-Year-Old Ella Ballentine To Star As Anne Shirley
For Immediate Release:
TORONTO (June 3, 2015) - The eagerly-anticipated two-hour original movie Lucy Maud Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables from Breakthrough Entertainment will debut on Corus Entertainment's YTV in early 2016.
Now in production in several locations throughout Canada, Lucy Maud Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables, based on the classic Anne series of novels, is beautifully reimagined by Breakthrough in association with the authors granddaughter, Kate MacDonald Butler who serves as an Executive Producer. John Kent Harrison will direct the movie special based on a script by Susan Coyne.
True to the beloved tale that has enchanted fans for over a century, Lucy Maud Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables is the story of Anne Shirley, a fiercely imaginative little girl who touches the lives of everyone she meets. Taken from an orphanage to serve in the household of an older couple, Anne becomes the charge of strait-laced Marilla Cuthbert. Though Marilla is determined to bring discipline to the irrepressible Anne, neither has any idea as to the profound impact they will soon have on each other's lives.
First published in 1908, Anne of Green Gables remains an iconic work of Canadian literature, which has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. The eight classic Anne of Green Gables novels set in P.E.I. have attracted generations of readers inspired by the adventures of the spirited redhead Anne Shirley, who comes to stay at Green Gables and wins the hearts of everyone she meets.
We are so happy Corus shares our love for this timeless story and will join with us to introduce Anne to a whole new generation. We could not have imagined a better home for this very special movie, said Joan Lambur, Executive Vice-President, Family Entertainment for Breakthrough Entertainment and Executive Producer.
Taking the starring role as Anne Shirley is 13-year-old actress Ella Ballentine who started her film career in Hallmark TV movie starring Casper Van Dien (Baby's First Christmas, 2012) and has since played leading and supporting roles alongside such distinguished actors as Susan Sarandon (The Calling, 2014), Ryan Reynolds and Rosario Dawson (The Captive, 2014), and Laurence Fishburne and Thomas Jane (Standoff, 2015). Addtionally, she recently completed filming one of the two starring roles in the feature film Against the Wild II: Surviving the Serengeti.Films in which Ballentine has appeared have been screened at a number of film festivals, including Cannes in 2014 and she has also appeared in television series including the historical fantasy Reign and the medical drama series Saving Hope.
We are thrilled to bring such a time-honoured and treasured Canadian story to YTV that parents can enjoy with their kids, said Jamie Piekarz, Director of Content, Corus Kids. Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne, as played by Ella Ballentine, will inspire a new generation of kids with the timeless message of being true to oneself and become a new classic for audiences in Canada and worldwide.
Highly regarded for his directorial work in the international miniseries format, John Kent Harrison's television credits include the Emmy Award-winning The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, The Lois Wilson Story, which received a SAG nomination for Winona Ryder, and William Faulkners Old Man, winner of two Emmy Awards, the Humanities Prize, the Christopher Medal and a Golden Reel. Celebrated as one of the co-creators and co-stars of the award-winning Slings and Arrows television series, script writer Susan Coyne has amassed a number of high-profile writing credits including series Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays and The Best Laid Plans. Executive Producers for Breakthrough Entertainment include Nat Abraham, Joan Lambur, Ira Levy, Michael McGuigan, and Peter Williamson with Ross Leslie acting as Producer and Lindsey Hermer-Bell as Production Designer.
As the President of family-owned Heirs of L.M. Montgomery Inc., Kate Macdonald Butler oversees all Lucy Maud Montgomery related inquiries and projects, including publishing, film and television, and merchandising ventures. On behalf of her family, Macdonald Butler travels extensively around the world to attend events celebrating to the legacy of L.M. Montgomery. She also serves as a Board Member of the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority Inc. and manages the Toronto office of the Anne Authority, jointly owned by the province of Prince Edward Island and Heirs of L.M. Montgomery Inc.
Lucy Maud Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables provides a rare opportunity to create an important contemporary vision on a timeless classic that is true to its author. As an Executive Producer and consultant, Kate Macdonald Butler is playing a pivotal role in helping to ensure the film's authenticity and author intent. Kate has devoted her adult life towards nurturing the legacy of her grandmother for future generations, and Lucy Maud Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables represents an extraordinary opportunity to realize her deep commitment on film, said Peter Williamson, a Breakthrough Entertainment Partner and Executive Producer.
Working with Breakthrough Entertainment has been a dream come true for me. Joan Lambur, Peter Williamson and Ira Levy have been so respectful of L.M. Montgomery's most famous novel, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. From the inspired casting, the tender script and its eloquent adherence to the story of Anne Shirley, my family is so proud to be associated with bringing Breakthroughs film adaptation to a new generation of viewers. L.M. Montgomery was my grandmother and I think there is no doubt that she would be very proud too, said Kate MacDonald Butler.
About Breakthrough Entertainment: Headquar
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils First-Look Images from Villaflor, Santiago Mitre's New Film
Entertainment
12 June 2026
GlobalArgentina
Link copied to ...
12/06/2026
Back to All News
Cross the Boundaries of the Real World into the Spirit Realm i...
12/06/2026
With John Daro, DI Colourist at Warner Bros. Water Tower Color Tuesday 23 June, 10am-1pm or 3-6pm
Restar Corporation
Tokyo
Register here
John Daro is the ...
John Kent Harrison To Direct Two-Hour Original Movie Based On Script by Screenwriter Susan Coyne
