Laverne Cox, cast member on Netflix hit Orange Is the New Black, has been cast as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Fox’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is set to air in fall 2016. The two-hour event is “a reimagining of the cult classic,” according to Fox. The production follows sweethearts Janet Weiss and Brad Majors, who stumble into the home of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, whom Fox describes as “a sexually ambiguous flirtatious alien mad-scientist.”
Cox portrays transgender inmate Sophia Burset on Orange Is the New Black. She is the first transgender woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted television show, according to Fox. Cox’s additional TV credits include CBS pilot Doubt, along with The Mindy Project, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce and Faking It.
Lou Adler executive-produced the original Rocky Horror Picture Show for Twentieth Century Fox in 1975. Fox’s reboot is from Fox 21 Television Studios and The Jackal Group. Adler and Gail Berman are executive producers, while Emmy Award winner Kenny Ortega (High School Musical) will direct, choreograph and executive-produce.
