Octavia Spencer To Star In ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Reboot

Octavia Spencer is set to star in NBC’s upcoming Murder, She Wrote reboot.

The hour-long project will be a reimagining of the original Murder, She Wrote, starring Angela Lansbury, which ran for 12 episodes from 1984 to 1996 on CBS.

The reboot is described 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.”

If the series gets picked up for a full season, Murder, She Wrote will mark Octavia Spencer’s first series regular role. The Help star, who won a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role, recently guest starred in the new CBC comedy Mom opposite her film co-star Allison Janney.

“I’ve always considered myself an armchair detective and in a recent meeting with [NBC Entertainment chairment] Bob Greenblatt, he asked me what type of character would be able to lure me to TV. Naturally, I said ‘JB. Fletcher’ meets ‘Colombo’… And here we are,” the 43-year-old 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.”

Angela Lansbury earned 12 Emmy and 10 Golden Globe Award nominations for the original Murder, She Wrote. She holds the record for most Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress in a television drama series, and the most Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a drama series.

Octavia Spencer is set to reunite with The Help co-star Viola Davis and director Tate Taylor for his James Brown biopic, Get On Up. The film, which starts when Brown was around five years old, stars 42 star Chadwick Boseman as the Godfather of Soul and The Walking Dead actor Lennie James as his father, Joseph.

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