Laverne Cox to Play Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show TV Remake

Fox's reimagining of the cult classic film is set to air next fall

By Lauren Piester Oct 21, 2015 11:18 PMTags
Laverne CoxJamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Consider us officially shivering with antici...pation. 

Laverne Cox has officially been cast as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Fox's 2016 reimagining of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and we are feeling pretty groovy about this casting news. 

The two-hour event is set to air on Fox next fall as a celebration of the original film's 40 years of theatrical distribution. 

Cox will have some big shoes to fill, since in our humble opinion, Frank-N-Furter is one of the greatest and strangest movie characters of all time, originally played in the 1975 film by Tim Curry.

Frank describes himself (in song) as a "sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania." He's also a mad scientist and a space alien who has invited a bunch of very strange friends to his castle to witness the birth of the man he created. 

In the movie, we were introduced to Frank and his loyal servants, Riff-Raff, Columbia and Magenta, through the eyes of Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), a young couple whose car has broken down just down the road. They knock on the castle's door looking for a phone, but, well, they don't really find one.

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Cox tweeted about her excitement, saying, "I am so excited to be a part of #RockHorror legacy. #DontDreamItBeIt." Cox is best known for her role as transgender inmate Sophia Burset on Netflix's Orange is the New Black, and even earned an Emmy nomination for her portrayal. She was also the first openly transgender actress to earn an Emmy nomination. 

She has also appeared in The Mindy Project, Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, and Faking It. She also landed a lead role in the CBS pilot Doubt as a transgender attorney—a role specifically written for Cox. 

Rocky Horror will be produced by Lou Adler, who was also an executive producer on the original film. He's partnering with Gail Berman for the reimagining, and this project has been in development since 2014. 

Given that Halloween is just around the corner, we've been doing the Time Warp for weeks now, but this news has added some definite pep to our pelvic thrusts.