Advertisement

Octavia Spencer to take Angela Lansbury's role in 'Murder, She Wrote' reboot

A new "Murder, She Wrote" series is heading to NBC.

By Kate Stanton
1 of 2 | | License Photo

(UPI) -- Octavia Spencer will step into Angela Lansbury's iconic role as Jessica Fletcher, the mystery novelist and amateur sleuth of Murder, She Wrote, which aired on CBS from 1984 to 1996.

NBC's rebooted version of the popular series will star Oscar-winner Spencer as a hospital administrator who's just published her first mystery novel. She uses her keen observational skills to help investigators solve "sensational" mysteries of the day.

Advertisement

Deadline said the show's producers have described the new series as a "light, contemporary procedural in the vein of Bones or Fargo."

“I’ve always considered myself an armchair detective," Spencer, 43, said of the role. "In a recent meeting with [NBC Entertainment chair] 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.

"Octavia and I are both huge true crime buffs, amateur criminologists, and fans of Angela Lansbury,” writer Alexandra Cunningham 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.”

Latest Headlines

Advertisement

Trending Stories

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement