Netflix’s ‘Little House On the Prairie’ Adaptation Taking Big Step Forward

Netflix’s reboot of Little House on the Prairie has put out a casting call for the character of Laura Ingalls. Production is slated to begin this June.

There are also open casting calls for Laura’s father Charles, her mother Caroline and her sister Mary, too, per Cast it Talent. For the role of Laura, candidates must be white and between the ages of 9 and 11 and submit a self-tape that includes a full body shot before submissions close on April 4th.

Per a description of the character, “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,” the description continues. “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.”

The original TV adaption of the book series starred Melissa Gilbert as Laura, Michael Landon as her father Charles, Karen Grassie as her mother Caroline and Melissa Sue Anderson as her older sister Mary. It ran on NBC from 1974 to 1983.