Anne of Green Gables casting call held in Halifax

The casting department for thenewCBC series based on theAnne of Green Gables novels called ANNE was in Halifax Sunday to hold auditions for the title character.

Although the fictional redhead Anne Shirley is most associated with Prince Edward Island, she was born in Nova Scotia.

"We went Canada-wide and we've auditioned some really wonderful girls and talented girls," said Jules Fitzsimmons, casting director for the series.

'Anne-spiration'

Halifax is the last stop for auditions. Prince Edward Island had a casting call on Saturday and before that, auditions were held in Toronto and Vancouver.

Producers are looking for girls between 11 and 14 to play Anne. Red hair is not a necessity.

"I think coming out to the East Coast was really important because I'm sure so many people out here just connect with it and it's their homeland and even before we started the auditions in P.E.I. we actually stopped by the Anne house and I was tweeting 'looking for my Anne-spiration," said Fitzsimmons.

Hundreds of auditions across Canada

Fitzsimmons said the ideal Anne is "a girl that keeps it real." She says approximately 660 girls have auditioned so far, including about 250 in Toronto, 250 in Vancouver, 60 in Prince Edward Island and 100 in Halifax.

The show will begin production in the summer and air some time in 2017.

• Search begins to find CBC's next Anne of Green Gables