‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Remake Gets Blessing from Original Star Tim Curry; Laverne Cox Talks New Role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter

‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ remake officially got its blessing from Tim Curry, the 1975 film’s original star. He also expressed his enthusiasm over the new film. Laverne Cox, who took over Curry’s role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, said getting cast in the remake was a dream come true.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Curry officially gave Fox’s upcoming ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ remake his blessing. The highly acclaimed English actor and singer rose to international prominence for his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the main antagonist in the original cult favorite released in 1975.

Curry made an appearance at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour where he endorsed Fox’s new two-hour television special. He portrays the narrator in the new film while Laverne Cox of 'Orange is the New Black’ takes his place as the new Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

According to Vanity Fair, Curry expressed his enthusiasm over his involvement in the remake. He said, “Just doing it again, but in a different role… it was a lot of fun… 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… They thought the narrator was a better fit, and I enjoyed it a lot.”

The 70-year old actor is currently recovering from a stroke and has been doing voice-over work for the past four years.

The remake’s director, executive producer, and choreographer Kenny Ortega recalled working with Curry saying, “I’ll never forget the first day of rehearsal… 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.”

Ortega expressed praise for Cox’s performance saying, “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.”

According to People, Cox admitted that she hadn’t discovered the original film until college. She recalled, "The first time I saw it, I was like, 'What is this? This is me.' It felt like me. Frank-N-Furter felt like me."

She added, "At the time, I hadn't started transitioning yet, but I was sort of in the androgynous space. I had a shaved head and I wore makeup every day to ballet class… Then I saw this character who was gender non-conformant like me, saying, 'Don't dream it, be it.' That became a personal mantra. I am it – it being Dr. Frank-N-Furter."

The 32-year old actress also took the opportunity to thank cast and crew members and called her experience “magical”. She said taking over Curry’s iconic role was a “dream come true”.

Other new members of the cast include Victoria Justice as Janet originally portrayed by Susan Sarandon, Ryan McCartan as Brad originally portrayed by Barry Bostwick, Reeve Carney as Riff-Raff originally portrayed by Richard O’Brien, Christina Milian as Magenta originally portrayed by Patricia Quinn, Annaleigh Ashford as Columbia originally portrayed by Nell Campbell, Ben Vereen as Dr. Everett Scott originally portrayed by Jonathan Adams, and Adam Lambert as Eddie originally portrayed by Meat Loaf.

‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ remake is an upcoming television film directed by Kenny Ortega with an original script by Richard O’Brien and Jim Sharman. It is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and The Jackal Group. It is scheduled to premiere on Fox on October 20, 2016.

The original 1975 film earned $140.25 million at the worldwide box office on a production budget of $1.2 million. It also gained a strong cult following and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.