Seventies series Fantasy Island that starred Ricardo Montalban and Hervé Villechaize will return to TV only this time with a female lead
Seventies TV series Fantasy Island is set to return to TV screens.
On Monday Deadline reported the show will be back, but with a female lead.
In the original, Ricardo Montalban played Mr Roarke with Hervé Villechaize as his sidekick Tattoo.
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A new fantasy: ABC is currently developing a reboot of the classic Seventies series Fantasy Island, with a female slated for the leading role, according to Deadline
A fantastic pair: Ricardo Montalban and Herve Villechaize starred as inhabitants of the original Fantasy Island
The work of powerhouse producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg - the same team who steamed up Seventies TV screens with Charlie's Angels - Â Fantasy Island featured exotic scenery, playful plot lines, and a bevy of memorable stars. It aired from 1977 to 1984.
Reminiscent of The Love Boat and other Seventies anthologies after which it was patterned, the series featured Hollywood legend Montalban as Mr. Roarke, the mysterious proprietor of an exotic vacation isle.
Alongside Montalban, Villechaize starred as Roarke's dimunitive valet, Tattoo. The 3-foot 11-inch Villechaize became a breakout star upon the series debut, sending his memorable catch phrase - De plane! De plane! - reverberating throughout popular culture.
A star of stature: The 3-foot 11-inch Herve Villechaize became a breakout star upon the series debut
Together Tattoo and Roarke brought vacationers' fantasies to life, playing host each week to a changing cast of Hollywood heavyweights, as everyone from Don Ameche to Don Knotts eventually set foot on Fantasy island.
Yet network executives now say they hope to revisit the property, with a female lead and a few other changes.
In place of Roarke's Pacific paradise, Fantasy Island will serve as the name of a San Francisco-based company where customers may have their wildest fantasies fulfilled - for a price.
Writer Sheldon Turner, best known for his 2009 dramedy Up In The Air, is expected to maintain some conventions of the original series.
Each episode will be likely to chronicle two guests' fantasies, while an ongoing story arc will address details of Roarke's personal life.
Reimagining a fantasy: Writer Sheldon Turner, best known for his 2009 dramedy Up In The Air, is expected to maintain some conventions of the original series
The news comes in the wake of the September announcement that NBC is currently working to reboot another memorable Spelling-Goldberg property, Hart to Hart.
In place of well-heeled husband and wife detectives, Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, the series will feature a pair of gay sleuths.
Other retro series currently being developed for reboots include Xena: Warrior Princess and 80's camp classic The A-Team.
A rash of reboots: Other classic series ready for reboot include Hart to Hart, Xena: Warrior Princess, and The A-Team
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