Megan Follows, star of the beloved Canadian series
Anne of Green Green Gables (1985), will play Anne's creator L.M. Montgomery in an upcoming series called
Lucy. Maud. Known for her moving and unforgettable portrayal of Anne Shirley, Megan Follows is producing a new television series based on Lucy Maud Montgomery's life.
Speaking to
Variety, Megan Follows explained, "I’ve always been incredibly grateful to be introduced, as a young woman, to the power of a character who was a central figure in her own story. One thing I share with the writers [of the show] is that our lives were greatly influenced by Anne. She defined us as artists, as writers, me as an actor."
Megan Follows will play L.M. Montgomery alongside other actresses. She explains to
Variety, "I will play Maud, as that was her preferred name, from her forties through the end of her life. But we will also go on a wonderful journey with a young Maud and Maud in her 20s. There are multiple timelines we are discovering and experiencing with her."
The series will be the first dramatic depiction of L.M. Montgomery's life and will delve into her "passionate affairs, literary stardom and vivid imagination." The team optioned L.M. Montgomery's biography
The Gift of Wings by Mary Rubio, a scholar who co-edited
L.M. Montgomery's journals, as the source material for the series. Megan Follows elaborated, telling
Variety, "It has been our extraordinarily rich source material, as well as many novels which have recently come into the public domain. We believe our project is really the first dramatic adaptation of this life story."
In the 1980s, when Megan Follows was playing Anne, she would take Montgomery's journals with her. Megan Follows told
Variety, "I used to carry them around, because I could see there was so much more to this woman writing, at times very subversively, and exposing the world with a wicked sense of humor. She was extraordinarily intelligent, witty, observant. She had passionate affairs and lived in a time of great social upheaval and change. She’s a woman who speaks to our times."
Megan Follows went on to say, "Examples of really intelligent, creative, powerful women are worth celebrating and introducing to newer generations." The project has been in the works for some time. Megan Follows
previously mentioned developing this project with the CBC in December 2023.
Produced by Story Girls Productions, the limited series will be eight episodes long, and each episode will be 60 minutes in length. Megan Follows will direct and star in the series. Susan Coyne is the creator of the series and its showrunner. Previously, Coyne wrote the screenplays for
L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables (2016),
L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables: Fire and Dew (2017) and an episode of
Daisy Jones & The Six. The writers for
Lucy. Maud include Susan Coyne and Rosa Laborde. The series is produced by Megan Follows, Edwina Follows, and Mary Young Leckie.
Producer Edwina Follows spoke to
Variety about the series saying, “It’s a compelling drama about a powerful woman whose life experience remains relatable to this day.” Megan Follows elaborated on the production, telling
Variety that it will appeal to L.M. Montgomery's fans as well as those unfamiliar with her work: "They can watch a show about the power of creativity as a saving grace and as a means of exploring the world and finding your voice. Even when you’re up against extraordinary odds. She fought and fought for that recognition, and fought for young people around the world. She understood what it was like to be on the outside."
Story Girls Productions is currently at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) Co-Production Market to secure financing, presales, and international distributions for the series, which aims to shoot in 2025.
Info on the Series:
Story Girls Productions, Canada
Writers: Susan Coyne, Rosa Laborde
Director: Megan Follows
Producers: Edwina Follows, Mary Young Leckie, Megan Follows
With pilot script and second episode ready, this Canadian show is about to introduce a wider audience to writer Lucy Maud Montgomery, forgotten force behind such classics as “Anne of Green Gables.” As well as her personal life, her passionate affairs, turbulent marriage, the pressures of fame, her ongoing struggle with mental illness and the solace she found in her writing. Supported by Canadian Media Fund.
I haven't been this excited about an L.M. Montgomery-related production since back in 1999/2000 when I was awaiting Sullivan Entertainment's
Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (aka
Anne3). I hope
Lucy. Maud will be distributed worldwide, so all L.M. Montgomery fans have a chance to see it. Let's hope that Story Girls Productions has great success in Berlin.
Image credit:
Photograph of Megan Follows.
References:
Balaga, Marta. (February 18, 2025). ‘Anne of Green Gables’ Star Megan Follows to Play Its Author Lucy Maud Montgomery in Series ‘Lucy. Maud’ (EXCLUSIVE).
Variety. Retrieved from:
https://variety.com/2025/tv/global/anne-of-green-gables-megan-follows-lucy-maud-1236311127/.
Balaga, Marta. (February 18, 2025). Berlin’s Co-Pro Series Welcomes Skateboarders, Drug Kingpins and Fernando Meirelles.
Variety. Retrieved from:
https://variety.com/2025/tv/global/fernando-meirelles-berlinale-series-market-co-pro-series-1236311488/.
Megan Follows: Playing Anne in Anne of Green Gables and bringing the story to a new generation. (December 15, 2023). Q with Tom Power.
CBC Arts & Entertainment. Retrieved from:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/megan-follows-playing-anne-in-anne-of-green-gables/id256943801?i=1000638664483.
Created February 19, 2025.
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