“Murder, She Wrote” is being re-written.
In the upcoming reboot of the beloved 1980s series, Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) is set to play the amateur sleuth first made famous by Angela Lansbury on the long-running CBS series.
NBC has made a a put pilot commitment for the hourlong re-imagining from writer Alexandra Cunningham (“Deception”) and producer David Janollari (“Six Feet Under”), according to Deadline.
Like the original, “Murder” will center on a mystery writer who begin to take part in murder investigations. The new version will reportedly be a lightweight procedural with a sense of humor in the vein of “Bones” and the upcoming smallscreen version of “Fargo.”
The original was created by Richard Levinson, William Link and Peter S. Fischer, and ran for 12 seasons starting in 1984. Lansbury was nominated for no less than 12 Emmys and 10 Golden Globes for her role as Jessica Fletcher.
Known for her film work — she was recently seen in “Fruitvale Station” — Spencer previously teamed with Janollari for the Syfy series “The Chronicle” in 2001. She has also popped up on episodes of shows such as “30 Rock,” “Dollhouse” and “The Big Bang Theory.”