Disney+ Orders Drama About Woman Who Risked Life To Save Anne Frank’s Family
Disney+ has ordered A Small Light, a new limited series from National Geographic about Miep Gies, the Dutch woman who risked her life to protect Anne Frank’s family from the Nazis.
According to Deadline, the series is written by Joan Rater and Tony Phelan (Grey’s Anatomy) and follows twentysomething Miep Gies, who, at the request of her boss Otto Frank, helps hide the Frank family from the Nazis during the Second World War. For two years, Miep, her husband Jan, and other helpers protected the eight members of the Frank family; Miep also preserved Anne’s Diary so that it could be shared with the world.
Filming is expected to begin in Europe later this year, and casting is currently underway for the three lead characters, Miep, Otto, and Jan. Susanna Fogel (The Flight Attendant) is set to direct several episodes of the series, which will be produced by ABC Signature in partnership with Keshet Studios.
Gies, who died in 2010 at the age of 100, released a book in 1987 titled Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family. The book details how Gies protected the Frank family and many others escaping the Nazi regime, which will be highlighted in the upcoming series.
In an old interview shared by the non-profit organization The Anne Frank House, Gies said, “I don’t like being called a hero because no one should ever think you have to be special to help others. Even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can turn on a small light in a dark room.”
This marks the second National Geographic scripted series for Disney+ following The Right Stuff, the 2020 historical drama that explored the origins and growth of the United States space program.
Meanwhile, the husband-and-wife team of Phelan and Rater recently received a CBS pilot order for Cal Fire, a drama from SEAL Team star Max Thieriot about his experiences growing up in Northern California fire country. Phelan and Rater are perhaps best known for co-running Grey’s Anatomy Season 7 to 10 alongside creator Shonda Rhimes.
A Small Light, TBA, Disney+
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