Laverne Cox ("Orange is the New Black") has been cast as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" remake, which is set to air fall 2016 on Fox. The two-hour event is a reimagining of the cult classic, which is celebrating 40 years of theatrical distribution – longer than any other film in history. One of the most popular films of all time, it still plays in movie theaters around the world.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" follows sweethearts Janet Weiss and Brad Majors, who stumble upon Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s bizarre abode. Frank-N-Furter, a sexually ambiguous flirtatious alien mad-scientist, is holding an annual Transylvanian science convention to showcase the birth of "Rocky Horror" – a fit, attractive man created solely to fulfill Frank’s desires.
Laverne Cox, the Emmy Award-nominated actress who is best known for portraying the groundbreaking role of transgender inmate Sophia Burset on the hit series "Orange is The New Black," is the first trans woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted television show. Cox recently added another drama to her resume as the lead of the CBS pilot "Doubt." Her documentary, "Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word," won a Daytime Emmy Award and was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award. Her next trans-themed documentary, "Free CeCe," is scheduled for release in 2016.
Lou Adler (Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee) executive-produced "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" for Twentieth Century Fox, which premiered on September 26, 1975. Adler met Gail Berman (TV, film and Broadway producer) in 2004. Berman shared his passion and vision for the reimagined version of the 40-year-old cult-classic and, in 2014, they partnered to begin development, says the press release.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" hails from Fox 21 Television Studios and The Jackal Group. Adler and Berman will serve as executive producers. Emmy Award winner Kenny Ortega ("High School Musical" franchise, "This Is It," "Descendants," "Hocus Pocus," "Newsies") will direct, choreograph and executive-produce.
