Last April, Fox announced that it would reboot The Rocky Horror Picture Show as a two-hour television special. The news was met by understandable criticism from the camp classic’s die-hard fans—how dare they remake the the 40-year-old midnight-movie mainstay. But on Monday, during Fox’s semi-annual presentation to the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles, original cast member Tim Curry told press that he gives the reboot, which stars Laverne Cox in his iconic role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, his unconditional endorsement.
“I’ll never forget the first day of rehearsal,” said the reboot’s director, executive producer, and choreographer Kenny Ortega. “Laverne was standing at the piano getting ready to sing ‘Sweet Transvestite’ for the first time. And Tim [was] sitting next to the pianist. And when she finished [singing], the first voice that came up was, ‘Brava,’ from Tim Curry. And that is what we have felt throughout this whole experience working with Tim Curry.”
“Just doing it again, but in a different role . . . it was a lot of fun,” said Curry. “I remembered quite a lot of the original film because it was my first movie. . . . It was fun though to do it again. I actually offered myself as Dr. [Everett] Scott, because I was already in a wheelchair,” the actor, who is recovering from a stroke, said to audience laughs. Alas, “They thought the narrator was a better fit, and I enjoyed it a lot.”
Ahead, a few additional takeaways about the reboot—which co-stars Victoria Justice (as Janet Weiss, the character played by Susan Sarandon), Ryan McCartan (as Brad Majors, the part played by Barry Bostwick), Christina Milian (as Magenta), and Adam Lambert (as Eddie)—and will premiere on October 20, 2016.
Laverne Cox Has Been Training for This Project Most of Her Life
Although the Orange Is the New Black star was not present for the panel, Ortega revealed how deeply the actress felt about playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
“A trans woman wanted to play this role ever since she was a little child, which we discovered when [Cox] came in to do her screen test—which, according to Fox, was one of the greatest screen tests they had ever [encountered],” Ortega said. “She’s a force. Five-octave range. A degree in dance from a major university, acting her heart out in New York and studying for over 15 years. Walking in and bringing something to the room that made us all realize there was no B plan—that if we could land this person in this role, that she would have so much to give to this. Life experience. A depth of talent. An enthusiasm and an incredible respect for this film. She was just an absolute joy. She was the person who gave us reason, really, to make this movie.”
But Why Another Remake?
A critic bluntly asked this question—a fair query given the number of shameless Hollywood reboots polluting the big and small screens these days. Justice, the 23-year-old actress who starred in children’s television shows Zoey 101 and Victorious, took it upon herself to answer.
“Coming from the world of Nickelodeon and having a lot of younger fans that are now teenagers and young adults, I think it’s going to be really cool to introduce The Rocky Horror Picture Show to a generation who probably wouldn’t have been exposed to it otherwise. So the fact that it’s going to be airing on TV to the masses is something that is so cool—because now a new generation will be able to sing along to ‘The Time Warp’ and they’re going to be familiar with these characters and inspired by them in many different ways. Also having a transgender actor playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter is a reflection of where we are as a society.”
“I think it’s getting an incredible cast, all of whom are triple threats,” added Ortega. “Every single one of these people up here now who do it all are getting the opportunity to invade these wonderful characters and to bring them to life with a new vivacity and new imagination. I fell in love with this project in 1973 when I saw Tim do it at the Roxy in Los Angeles and I’ve been a fan all these years. It’s like going back to Paris after 40 years. . . . I love this story. I love this music. And for me it was an opportunity to jump in the [project] with some fantastic people and have our way with it.”
Victoria Justice Was in Dress Rehearsals for This Project Eight Years Ago
“I saw it for the first time when I was in fifth grade,” the actress told reporters. “Then I went to my first midnight showing when I was 15 with my mom and a couple friends and their moms. The first time I saw it, I never saw anything like it in my life. I loved the music, the campiness, and the color, the characters, what the whole story meant. It really is so unique. So when I went to my first midnight showing I remember wearing my fishnets, my feather boa, my lipstick. It kind of just captivated me ever since.”
Don’t Expect Susan Sarandon to Make a Cameo
A question about whether the production reached out to the Oscar-winning actress, who played Janet in the 1975 comedy, went ignored by producers.
There Will Be a New Song . . . Kind Of
Producers confirmed that one new song was filmed and will be featured on a DVD released a month after the show’s premiere. Lou Adler, whose son Cisco is helping with the production’s music, said that original tracks will be updated slightly with samples to make them sound more contemporary.
The Project Has Been in the Works, Somehow or Another, for 10 Years
“I think sometimes projects have a way of finding the timing they are supposed to have,” explained executive producer Gail Berman, “and I think Laverne kind of made this happen in her own time and our own time.”
“It’s really an audience film—it’s always had a mind of its own,” added Adler. “I just waited for, basically, the fans to tell us what to do next. We started with this television idea quite a while ago. It just wasn’t the right time. But when Tim came along and validated [it] by wanting to be in it. And Kenny came along and elected to take it to another place. He took it to another place in the choreography, the music. . . . What Kenny and I said was, ‘Be true to the original but make it contemporary.’ So there’s loops and samples but it’s still the original music.
“As you can imagine, when we announced to fans that we were doing this, there was a tremendous backlash from fans who have been with us for 40 years. That loosened up, and it became more interesting to them, when Tim signed on. His validation gave them something to look forward to.”
