'Murder, She Wrote' Reboot: NBC Kills Show In Which 'The Help's' Octavia Spencer Was Set to Star
NBC has decided to drop its ambitious reboot of Murder, She Wrote, according to a Deadline report.
In October last year, the television network had announced that it would be reviving the phenomenally popular show and that Octavia Spencer (The Help) would star in the show. It seems like the plan has been nipped in the bud as the decision started to seem like a bit of a gamble, as reworking such an iconic show involved a decent amount of risk.
Alexandra Cunningham (Desperate Housewives) had been signed on to write the show and it was to be produced by David Janollari (Six feet Under, American Family), with each episode lasting for about an hour.
Spencer had worked with NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt and Janollari in 2001 on The Chronicle. The actress had spoken to Deadline about how she came to be involved in the NBC revival project, when it was announced.
"I've always considered myself an armchair detective and in a recent meeting with Bob Greenblatt, he asked me what type of character would be able to lure me to TV. Naturally, I said 'J.B. Fletcher' meets 'Colombo'... And here we are," she said. "I'm ecstatic to have the opportunity to work with Dave Janollari again, and Alex Cunningham, a brilliant writer who shares my love for all things mysterious and Angela Lansbury."
Cunningham had also expressed her excitement about working on the project, revealing that she and Spencer were both "crime buffs" and "amateur criminologists."
"Octavia and I are both huge true crime buffs, amateur criminologists, and fans of Angela Lansbury," she said. "To get the chance to reimagine Murder, She Wrote for a dynamic and multi-faceted actress like Octavia is a thrill and a pleasure."
The original CBS show ran for 12 seasons and earned Lansbury 12 Emmy and 10 Golden Globe nominations.
