Canadian actress Shenae Grimes will play Annie Mills

The CW had to go to Canada to find its " Beverly Hills, 90210" spinoff equivalent of Brenda Walsh.

Canadian-born Shenae Grimes has landed the female lead role in the much-anticipated teen drama, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This announcement puts to rest speculation that Hilary Duff would land the role.

Grimes, 18, will play West Beverly Hills High School student Annie Mills, the daughter of Celia Mills ( Lori Loughlin), a former Olympics medalist in cycling. Annie is seen to be similar to Brenda Walsh, a role in "90210" played by Shannen Doherty, since both characters move to Beverly Hills during high school.

This update of the show will concentrate on the three generations of the Mills family.

Grimes joins the already cast Dustin Milligan and AnnaLynne McCord. Grimes played Darcy Edwards on "Degrassi: The Next Generation" and was a recurring guest star on "Naturally, Sadie."