NBC Rebooting 'Murder, She Wrote' With Oscar Winner in Lead Role

Credit: CBS

Not content to let go of reboots following the failure of Ironside, NBC is looking to reboot another classic detective series, this time with an Academy Award winner in the lead role.

NBC is looking to revive Murder, She Wrote with a new take on the series from writer Alexandra Cunningham and producer David Janollari. But the big news is the star the network has gotten to headline the series, as Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (The Help) will take over the iconic role inhabited by Angela Lansbury in the classic CBS series. The new hourlong drama is described as "a light, contemporary procedural in the vein of Bones or Fargo" which "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." Lansbury has reportedly been approached to be a part of the reboot, though no word on whether the beloved star has accepted.

Further details via Deadline:

This would mark the first series regular role for Spencer, who won an Oscar for The Help. She previously worked with NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt and Janollari on the 2001 Sci Fi Channel series The Chronicle, which the two exec produced and she recurred on. Spencer’s involvement in Murder, She Wrote stems from an exploratory meeting she took with Greenblatt. “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 also spoke of her and Spencer’s shared passions. “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.”

Created by Richard Levinson, William Link and Peter S. Fischer, the original Murder, She Wrote starred Lansbury in her record 12-time-Emmy-nominated role as Jessica (J.B.) Fletcher, a middle-aged, widowed successful murder-mystery writer who solves real murders in her spare time. The series premiered in 1984, ran for 12 seasons and spawned four follow-up TV movies as well as a spinoff series, The Law & Harry McGraw. Like other reboots, including CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 and TNT’s Dallas, the new Murder, She Wrote will likely keep the popular theme music of the original series, which won an Emmy for composer John Addison, giving it a 21st century makeover.

No word yet on when the series is expected to premiere, but NBC has already given the Murder, She Wrote reboot a put pilot commitment, pretty much guaranteeing it will be picked up to series, even if for a limited run.