Margaret Atwood is coming to a small screen near you

CanLit queen Margaret Atwood is perennially popular, but two of her older works are receiving renewed attention. On Tuesday, CBC and Netflix announced the production of a six-hour miniseries based on Alias Grace. Canadian actress and director Sarah Polley, who originally planned to adapt the book into a film, wrote the script and will be producing the series. (An ardent fan, Polley called Atwood's protagonist, Grace Marks, "the most complex, riveting character I have ever read.")

The series will begin shooting in Ontario this August, and will be directed by Mary Harron, whose previous credits include American Psycho.

The announcement comes mere months after American-streaming service Hulu announced it planned to produce an adaptation of Atwood's famed dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale in partnership with MGM Television for a 2017 release. Atwood has said the book, which depicts women as the property of a theocratic state (the former United States) is “more relevant now than when it was written" in 1985. Golden Globe-winner (and Mad Men alum) Elisabeth Moss will play the lead role, with Atwood herself acting as a consulting producer on the show. As of now, Canadian distribution has not yet nailed down, but while you await confirmation, you could always catch up on Atwood's back catalogue, which has 40 books to choose from.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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