Wanted: A plucky white female, ages 9-11, who questions authority and is “honest to a fault.” If qualified, you could be the next Laura Ingalls for Netflix.
The search is officially underway for the actors who will make up the storied Ingalls family in the streamer’s reboot of the classic ’70s drama. The casting call has gone out for what Netflix is describing as a “reimagining” of the series based on the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, Vampire Diaries, Archive 81) will serve as showrunner and executive producer of the CBS Studios series.
Production is expected to run between June and October in Winnipeg, Canada. Director is Sarah Adina Smith and executive producers areExecutive producers are Joy Gorman Wettels for Joy Coalition, Dana Fox, Susanna Fogel and Trip Friendly for Friendly Family Productions — who’s been pushing for a reboot for years.
The casting call describes the reboot as “part-hopeful family drama, part-epic survival tale, and part-origin story of the American West.” It goes on to say “this fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical Little House books offers a kaleidoscope view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.”
By far the most interesting search will be the quest to find Laura. Candidates have until April 4 to submit a self-tape that that includes a full body shot of the young actress who must be white and between the ages of 9 and 11. Here’s the character description from Breakdown:
“Everyone sees themselves in Laura. That’s why these books endure. Laura is a disruptor. Honest to a fault. Questions authority. She’s our window into this adventure. An American icon in waiting. Forget your modern ideas of childhood –the stakes are high for children living in the 19th century. They have responsibilities — and freedoms — that seem extraordinary in this era of helicopter parenting. Mixed in with small pleasures and petty disputes with her older sister are true feats of survival and bravery. She is observant, tender, strong- willed, hot-tempered. She resists the bounds of 19th-century ladylike behavior — she likes to run barefoot and feel the sun on her face. She is curious and optimistic and fearless, like her father; resourceful and hardworking and honest, like her mother. She is quick to call out anyone who is cruel or unjust. She loves fiercely and unapologetically and is utterly devoted to her dog, Jack. She rubs some adults the wrong way — too many hard questions, too much personality, too much energy — but to the people who matter, she’s a bright light. She absorbs every detail she sees around her, collecting them for stories she will someday share with the world.”
Calls also went out for the actors who will play Laura’s dad Charles, her mom Caroline and her sister Mary.
CHARLES INGALLS — Charles Ingalls won his wife’s heart by carrying her three miles through the snow to a winter dance. He’s a man who’d fit in seamlessly into the 21st century. Ruggedly handsome, charming, outgoing. A farmer and a trapper. A carpenter and an artist. A poet, a musician, a skilled storyteller. The original Girl Dad. He is an optimist, always glass half-full. But he is also a wanderer. A seeker. A man forever in search of greener pastures.
CAROLINE INGALLS — Caroline Ingalls did not marry her husband out of convenience — they fell truly madly deeply in love. It was a great romance — and it still is. She’s got a playful side, a romantic side — but at the end of the day, she’s the one who keeps this family on track. Like moms do. She’s quiet and patient and practical — but with a core of steel. She gave up her teaching career to have a family, but that yearning for independence never quite went away. Her marriage is one of equals — something rare in the 19th century. And though her trust in her husband is tested, the strength of their love endures.
MARY INGALLS — Mary Ingalls is Laura’s older sister and polar opposite. A rule follower. Quiet and studious. Always angling to be the good daughter, the obedient one, the ladylike one, the prettier one. Other parents love Mary. Unlike her sister, she is uncomfortable in the natural world: the sun is too hot, the snow is too cold. She loves pretty ribbons and reading poetry and long afternoons of sewing. In other words, Laura and Mary are oil and water. Best friends and mortal enemies. They love each other deeply and argue intensely. But in the end, they always have each other’s backs — there is no choice but to protect each other in this wild new landscape.
Former cast members of the series that aired on NBC have spoken out in support of the reboot, with Melissa Gilbert saying “[The original] was Michael Landon’s interpretation, and now it’s time for someone else’s interpretation. And I think there’s plenty of room for that. And I think there’s a lot of other stories to mine beyond that. So I think this opens the door in a lot of ways for all kinds of Little House on the Prairie projects.”
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