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Freeform Is Developing a Show About Anastasia Romanov for All Those Teens Who Love Decades-Old Conspiracy Theories

Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia.
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia in 1901. Photo: Universal History Archive

Anastasia Romanov, the Russian grand duchess whose (speculated) escape from the Bolshevik rebels who executed her family was the basis for a not-quite-Disney princess movie, might be reborn as an early 20th-century badass on Freeform, the new ABC Family. Deadline reports that the network is developing an hour-long series about Anastasia’s adventures after she arrives in 1920s Paris. In it, Anastasia “joins forces with an elite espionage agency that’s working to prevent another world war” for whom she becomes the “world’s first female spy” (this is one of the many things in this show that will infuriate your high-school history teacher, as there have been many other female spies). The series is executive-produced by McG of Charlie’s Angels fame. If they’re looking for a title, might we suggest Once Upon a Dismember?

McG Producing Anastasia Series for Freeform