Universal and Jamie Lee Curtis are ready to solve a mystery or two now that the upcoming Murder, She Wrote film has found its director. According to Deadline, Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore will helm the feature adaptation of the classic TV series, headlined by Angela Lansbury. Jamie Lee Curtis will take on the lead role, with Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo writing the screenplay, based on the CBS series created by Peter S. Fischer and Richard Levinson & William Link.
Who are the creative forces behind Murder, She Wrote?
On the production side, Amy Pascal will produce with Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Aditya Sood via Lord Miller’s first-look pact with Universal Pictures. Curtis confirmed that Universal’s Murder, She Wrote project was in the works last year at the premiere for Disney’s Freakier Friday, saying, “Oh, it’s… happening, We’re a minute away, but yeah, [I’m] very excited. Very excited. But I’m tamping down my enthusiasm until we start shooting. I have a couple of other things to hustle, but then I’ll get to enjoy that work.”
What was the original series about?
The original series starred the incomparable Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, a retired schoolteacher who becomes a successful mystery writer and amateur detective. Set in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, and across the United States (and sometimes abroad), the series spanned 12 seasons and aired from 1984 to 1996. Once the show concluded, Lansbury returned in four television movies that were released from 1997 to 2003. Murder, She Wrote remains a beloved series. While the thought of anyone else stepping into the role may seem sacrilegious, I’ll admit to being curious about Curtis tackling the character.
Fond memories of Murder, She Wrote
It’s been ages since I thought about Murder, She Wrote, but it’s a staple of my childhood for sure. I don’t recall watching it with rapt attention, but it was always playing softly in the background of a family friend’s house on the TV in their Mud Room. The owner of the house, John, liked mysteries and found Lansbury’s character endearing. Meanwhile, Lansbury reminds me of my grandmother in her later years. I could picture Lansbury playing a version of my grandma, Lyvinia, in a feature film about her storied life. My grandma used to hang with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack before passing on a Hollywood contract to marry my grandfather. You should see her headshots. She was a knockout.
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