In 1984 he purchased the rights to "Anne of Green Gables", completing the screenplay for the four-hour miniseries in 1985 with co-writer Joe Wiesenfeld. He directed the production for CBC, Disney and PBS in 1985. "Anne of Green Gables" and its sequel were the highest rated dramatic productions to air in Canadian TV history. Cinematic feature versions played in theatres in Japan for five years straight. Anne of Green Gables has been studied in US film schools as a model of TV Drama with a wide appeal to a wide variety of viewers. Part of "Anne of Green Gables'" immense attraction was its rich look, featuring painstakingly recreated sets and detailed costumes that imbued it with a magical reality. That look, or a variation on its theme, has become the hallmark of every Sullivan production since.