‘A Small Light’: Amira Casar, Billie Boullet & Ashley Brooke Join Disney+ Limited Series

EXCLUSIVE: Amira Casar (The Contractor), Billie Boullet (The Worst Witch) and Ashley Brooke (The Blacklist) are set as series regulars, joining Bel Powley, Liev Schreiber and Joe Cole in Disney+’s A Small Light, a limited series from National Geographic that tells the remarkable story of a Dutch woman who risked her life to shelter Anne Frank’s family from the Nazis for more than two years and then preserved Anne’s diary. The project comes from Grey’s Anatomy alums Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, Susanna Fogel, ABC Signature and Keshet Studios.

The eight-episode limited series centers on 20-something secretary Miep Gies (Powley), who didn’t hesitate when her boss Otto Frank (Schreiber) asked her to hide him and his family from the Nazis during World War II. For the next two years, Miep, her husband Jan (Cole) and several other everyday heroes watched over the eight souls hiding in the secret annex. It was Miep who found Anne’s diary and preserved it so that she and Otto could later share it with the world. The series title comes from something Gies said late in her life: “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.”

More from Deadline

• 'The Muppets Mayhem': Saara Chaudry & Anders Holm Join Disney+ Series

• Serving Up Hope: Ron Howard Documents Humanitarian-Chef José Andrés In Emmy-Contender 'We Feed People'

• French Exhibitors' Org Decries Disney's Move To Bypass Cinemas With 'Strange World'

Casar will play Edith Frank, a proud, smart and dignified woman. Mother to Margot and Anne, she navigates motherhood with a sincere and unwavering love, but which can sometimes feel overbearing to her teenage daughters. A natural perfectionist even at times of intense pressure, Edith is always at pains to keep up appearances, doing her best to acclimatize as an immigrant in a strange and suddenly very hostile environment.

Boullet portrays Anne Frank, who is funny, mischievous and, oftentimes, stubborn. She cares deeply for her family and friends, and she is honest to a fault. Anne has no filter – if she thinks something, she says it.

Brooke is Margot Frank, naturally timid and a rule follower, but with a kind and loving heart. Sensible and cautious, she is very concerned with how others see her, especially adults.

Rater and Phelan wrote the series and serve as executive producers and showrunners. Fogel will direct the pilot as well as additional episodes and will executive producer alongside Keshet Studios’ Peter Traugott; Keshet International’s Alon Shtruzman; and Keshet Media Group’s Avi Nir. Principal photography will begin this summer 2022 in Prague and Amsterdam.

On the film side, Casar was most recently seen in the Tarek Saleh-directed The Contractor with Chris Pine, and in Kamir Aïnouz’s 2020 film Honey Cigar. Her most recent projects include the French series Capitaine Marleau and Visions, directed by Yann Gozlan. She will soon appeare in Yaban, directed by Tareq Daoud.

British actress Boullet’s first tv role was in the popular BBC series The Worst Witch, followed by a role in Amazon’s The Power. She also recently wrapped a role as a main cast member on a new animated TV series produced by Dog Ears and Cartoon Saloon.

Brooke will next be seen as Alexandra Liddy in The White House Plumbers. Her recent TV credits include The Blacklist, New Amsterdam and Bull.

Best of Deadline

• 2022-23 Awards Season Calendar - Dates For The Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, Guilds, Festivals & More

• Oscars 2023 Telecast And Nomination Dates Set

• NFL 2022 Schedule: Primetime TV Games, Thanksgiving Menu, Christmas Tripleheader & More

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.