NBC cancels Murder, She Wrote reboot starring Octavia Spencer
Last year, NBC announced a reboot of popular crime drama television show Murder, She Wrote.
The original series starred Angela Lansbury, who immediately made it clear the reboot did not have her blessing.
Fans were divided on whether they would watch, even after Octavia Spencer was cast.
However, this version is not going ahead and if the show does return Octavia will not be in the lead.
NBC Cancels “Murder, She Wrote” Reboot
According to HitFix:
Sound like NBC may have taken Angela Lansbury’s criticisms to heart.
The network has put the kibosh on their planned “Murder, She Wrote” reboot starring Octavia Spencer, though according to Deadline they may try again at a later date, albeit with a new cast and concept. Lansbury, the star of the long-running original, called the project a “mistake” in an interview published last fall.
Written by Alexandra Cunningham (“Prime Suspect”), the “reimagining” would have seen Spencer starring as a hospital administrator-turned-self-published author and amateur detective.
The original “Murder, She Wrote” ran from 1984-1996 on CBS. At its peak, the show ranked No. 3 in the ratings overall.
Spencer recently guest-starred on two episodes of CBS’s Anna Faris-Allison Janney sitcom “Mom.” Her forthcoming big-screen projects include “Black and White” co-starring Kevin Costner and the James Brown biopic “Get on Up” helmed by her “Help” director Tate Taylor.