Murder, She Wrote is coming back as a film a year after Angela Lansbury's death
Murder, She Wrote is set to get the big screen treatment. A film reboot of the beloved show Murder, She Wrote is said to be in development at Universal Pictures, though the project has reportedly been affected by industry strikes.
The news comes almost a year after the death of Angela Lansbury, who played sleuthing author Jessica Fletcher in the original TV series - which ran from 1984 to 1996. The actor later reprised the role in four films that aired on TV.
It has now been announced that the character is set to return in a film reboot of the acclaimed show, which was primarily set in the fictional town of Cabot Cove in Maine. The news was shared at a film festival by its screenwriters.
Angela Lansbury played sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the show Murder, She Wrote (CBS via Getty Images)
The late actor played the character over the course of its twelve seasons and in four films (Fotos International/REX/Shutterstock)Film producers and writers Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo shared the news with Collider recently whilst discussing their new film Dumb Money (2023) with the outlet at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
The outlet reports that the pair have been commissioned to write a screenplay for a Murder, She Wrote film. Lauren said: "We have written a theatrical feature film version of Murder, She Wrote for Universal, and we're really excited." Whilst Rebecca teased that it's "Jessica Fletcher's time to return".
BAFTA forced to make U-turn after snubbing late Bernard Cribbins from ceremony
The ongoing strikes in the film and TV industry however are said to have affected development. It's unclear if any casting decisions had been made prior to the industrial action by the writers' union WGA and the actors' union SAG-AFTRA.
According to Variety, Lauren and Rebecca joined the project prior to the writers' strike, and won't resume their work on the screenplay until the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) reach a deal. The film is said to be among their next projects.
Murder, She Wrote debuted on CBS back in 1984. The show followed mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica - played by the late Angela, who died aged 96 last year - who ended up encountering on a murder in each episode.
The character solved murders that she encountered in her community and elsewhere (Universal Tv/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
It's been teased that Jessica is returning in a film reboot of the beloved show (Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)As well as sleuthing in the town Cabot Cove, the character also became involved in solving murders elsewhere in the US and abroad over the course of the show. She often assisted local law enforcement in each instance of crime.
Jessica was often supported by other characters during her investigations, including by recurring companions such as her pal Dr. Seth Hazlitt (played by the late William Windom) and Sheriff Mort Metzger (played by the late Ron Masak).
The show ran for twelve seasons and concluded in 1996. Angela - who won several Golden Globe awards for her role - returned as sleuth and retired teacher Jessica in four TV films that were then broadcast between 1997 and 2003.
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
