A new report from Variety has revealed that Curtis’ latest project is none other than the classic 80s mystery series Murder She Wrote, and Curtis will play the series’ full-time crime writer and part-time investigator Jessica Fletcher, who was played in the original by Angela Lansbury. We don’t have any story details yet, but it was revealed that the film will open in theaters next Christmas, as Universal Pictures is launching the movie on December 22, 2027.
This Could Be The Beginning of a Murder She Wrote Movie Franchise
The original Murder She Wrote debuted in 1984 and would go on to not only be a major ratings hit for CBS but also last 12 seasons. That’s impressive in any era, and the show’s popularity has endured in syndication even now. That said, in the realm of TV at least, the property hasn’t really been tapped or utilized in some time.
That’s why it’s a perfect time for the franchise to return, especially with someone of Curtis’ caliber in the lead role. The show ran for 264 episodes in a mystery-of-the-week format, so even taking out multi-part episodes, there are so many mysteries to choose from as inspiration for a new take on the franchise.
Even if the team decides to create a wholly original mystery, the hallmarks of the original show will hopefully be intact, and can carry through multiple films with ease. Fletcher is a popular mystery writer who calls the small seaside town of Cabot Cove home, and part of the fun of the show was how they found ways to involve Fletcher in the case of the day. Then there was the supporting cast of friends, neighbors, and the sheriff, who all brought something interesting to the cases. Some of the standouts include Dr. Hazlitt (William Windom), Sheriff Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley), Grady Fletcher (Michael Horton), Sheriff Mort Metzger (Ron Masak), and Harry McGray (Jerry Orbach).
The small town setting didn’t mean that Jessica wouldn’t venture to other places and bigger cities, but she could always count on her team and friends at Cabot Cove to help her, and her network would grow and evolve with every case. The formula worked extremely well, especially with Lansbury’s character grounding it all, and the same thing could happen with this new reboot. We’ve seen it with the Knivies Out series and the Hercule Poirot series of mysteries, and now Murder She Wrote could easily be the next mystery series to run with a franchise.
While details are vague on this specific film, the report does reveal that Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) will be directing the reboot, and it will be based on a screenplay by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo (Dumb Money). The project will also be produced through Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s first-look deal with Universal, and Amy Pascal will also be a producer on the project.
Murder She Wrote will land in theaters on December 22, 2027.
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