While she praises Octavia Spencer who is cast in the lead role for the reboot project, Lansbury says, 'I wish her well, but I wish it wasn't in 'Murder, She Wrote'.'
- Nov 12, 2013
AceShowbiz - Angela Lansbury disapproves of NBC's plans to remake her successful TV series, "Murder, She Wrote". Speaking to The Associated Press via a phone call on the weekend, she said, "I think it's a mistake to call it 'Murder, She Wrote'."
"Because 'Murder, She Wrote' will always be about a Cabot Cove and this wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is a rare and very individual kind of person," she reasoned. "So I'm sorry that they have to use the title 'Murder, She Wrote', even though they have access to it and it's their right."
Lansbury had nothing but good words for Octavia Spencer, who steps in the shoes of Lansbury to play the key role of an mystery writer and amateur detective. "I saw her in 'The Help' and thought she was absolutely wonderful, a lovely actress," the 88-year-old actress said, before adding, "So I wish her well, but I wish it wasn't in 'Murder, She Wrote'."
Lansbury was nominated for a total of 10 Golden Globes and 12 Emmy Awards for her work on "Murder, She Wrote". Airing from 1984 to 1996, the mystery series spawned four TV films and a spin-off series, "The Law & Harry McGraw".
The remake project is developed "as a light, contemporary procedural in the vein of 'Bones' or 'Fargo'." It "follows a hospital administrator and amateur sleuth (Spencer) who self-publishes her first mystery novel. Set in a day where sensational headlines inundate the news, this woman's avid fascination with true crime leads her to become an active participant in the investigations."
Deadline reports that NBC has not decided on a title for the new show, so there's a chance that it may no be called "Murder, She Wrote". Moreover, Spencer's character reportedly won't be called Jessica Fletcher as execs and producers thought that no one but Lansbury could play that character.
