Casting Call: Little House on the Prairie


In which we suggest who should star in the next big adaptation, remake, or historical film.

In terms of novels that are categorized as children’s literature, the Little House on the Prairie series ranks among of the greats. Written by Laura Ingalls Wilder between 1932-1943, the novels are based on her and her close-knit family’s pioneering lifestyle in the Midwest in the late 19th century, with Wilder serving as the chief protagonist (the novels are considered works of fiction, not autobiographies, though). To add another buckle into its media empire, NBC bought the rights to Little House and subsequently made it into a successful Western-drama television series in the ’70s and ’80s. Although the long-standing series deviated from the novels, it was consistently met with both high ratings and high praise from viewers and critics alike. It was, it seemed, America’s answer to British period dramas—just swap out Hertfordshire for Minnesota.

It’s only right that Little House will now make the transition to the big screen. With the rights acquired by Sony, and Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene) confirmed to direct the family-friendly film, casting is currently underway after being in a multi-year developmental phase. Whether it’ll adhere more to the engrossing novels or the colorful television adaptation, we’ll soon find out—but either way, it’ll need a rebooted Ingalls family for the new millennium. Click through the slideshow for whom we’d like to see donning those signature bonnets and calico dresses in the dandelion-laden prairies.

Casting Call runs every Friday. For more, click here.