‘Little House on the Prairie’ Cast Reunites as Reboot Executive Producer Dishes on ‘New Adaptation’

Trip Friendly, the executive producer of the Little House on the Prairie reboot, is stirring up excitement for the upcoming show.

From December 12 through 14, the cast of the original beloved series — including Karen Grassle, Alison Arngrim, and Dean Butler — and crew members reunited at Strathearn Historical Park in Simi Valley, California, participating in various events as the 50th reunion year comes to an end.

In a Q&A, Trip — the son of Little House producer Ed Friendly — and his daughter, Rebecca Friendly, dished on the upcoming series, according to People.

Trip referred to the show, which will feature a completely new cast, as “a new adaptation of the original books,” written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, rather than a traditional reboot.

“My dream has always been to go back to the books, do a fresh adaptation, and also bring in the history of the period,” he explained. “I studied history in college, I love history. And I think that’s a very fascinating part of history, that era — 1860s, 1870s, 1880s.”

Trip shared that he and his team saw a “a lot of potential Lauras and Marys” audition for the roles, but landed on the “brilliant” actress Alice Halsey to play Laura Ingalls after seeing her in the Apple TV+ show Lessons in Chemistry.  

“She just turned 11 years old, and she is so mature, so talented,” Rebecca gushed, per People. “She just has really fully embraced the character of Laura. And I think, in my opinion, you all are going to be excited to see her step up to the plate.”

As for how Melissa Gilbert — the original Laura — feels, Rebecca noted that she’s “very excited to pass the baton” to Halsey. “She’s been very supportive, and they met and had conversations.”

Little House on the Prairie ran for nine seasons from 1974 to 1983. In January, Netflix announced the Little House adaptation, and filming began in Canada over the summer.