'Anne of Green Gables' to premiere on PBS on Nov. 24

NEW YORK, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- The latest, small-screen adaptation of the classic, Canadian novel Anne of Green Gables is to premiere on PBS in the United States on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24.

The movie was directed by John Kent Harrison and written by Susan Coyne. It stars                    Martin Sheen, Ella Ballentine, Sara Botsford, Julia Lalonde, Kate Hennig, Stefani Kimber, Drew Haytaoglu, Kyle Gatehouse and Linda Kash.

Kate Macdonald Butler, the late author L.M. Montgomery's granddaughter, served as executive producer on the program, which aired in Canada last winter.    "Anne of Green Gables tells the story of Anne Shirley, a precocious young girl taken from an orphanage and placed in the care of the uptight Marilla Cuthbert and her brother, Matthew," a synopsis said. "The conservative Marilla has a profound effect on the adventurous Anne and creates a journey of learning and personal engagement that has resonated with generations since L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908."