After the news that Murder, She Wrote would be making a comeback, and return to television, the show has been cancelled before even being given a chance. The show originally aired from 1984 until 1996, and was a beloved show, earning 6 Golden Globes.
The reboot of the classic show was set to star Oscar winner Octavia Spencer, who won for her role in The Help. Anglea Lansbury had starred in the original, which was one of the most successful shows in the history of television.
The new project, from writer Alexandra Cunningham and producer David Janollari, gained attention when a big name such as Spencer was added to the cast, but NBC will not be going through with the development of the series after it was given a put pilot commitment.
It may be best that the Murder, She Wrote remake is not happening, as Octavia Spencer would have had to fill the shoes of the icon Lansbury, who received 12 Emmy and 10 Golden Globe nominations during the show’s 12 year run on CBS.
Angela Lansbury was immediately upset with the idea after the Murder, She Wrote remake was announced and called it a mistake. She also mentioned that “Octavia Spencer is a superb actress. She had no business being put into a situation that she couldn’t win.”
Although it does not seem to be in the works at the moment, Deadline revealed that the network may still try to go through with a remake of the popular show at some point, and could approach it in a different way, possibly with a new concept.
If the network had gone through with the show, it would have followed Jessica Fletcher, an amateur sleuth and hospital administrator. As with the original, her intense fascination with true crime would lead to her to become heavily involved with investigations.
At the height of its popularity, Murder, She Wrote attracted 23 million viewers in the US. It became one of the most popular shows of all time after running for 264 episodes.
Although the Murder, She Wrote remake will not be happening, the news simply frees up Octavia Spencer, who is expected to be among the most sought-after actresses for pilots this season.
She was most recently seen in Fruitvale Station, a film that was released in 2013, and was highly praised, although it has been snubbed from the majority of the awards shows.
Octavia Spencer has gained a reputation as one of the leading actresses in recent years, and perhaps a Murder, She Wrote remake would have deterred her from gaining other big roles in Hollywood films.
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