‘Fantasy Island’ Reboot Ordered at Fox
A reboot of the iconic TV show “Fantasy Island” has been ordered straight to series at Fox, the broadcast network said Tuesday.
The show comes from Liz Craft and Sarah Fain, who co-created the short-lived ABC drama “The Fix,” and is set to premiere in summer 2021. According to Fox’s description, “The reboot is a modern semi-anthology series that delves into the ‘what if’ questions, both big and small, that keep us awake at night. Each episode will tell emotional, provocative stories about people who walk in with a desire, but end up reborn to themselves through the magical realism of Fantasy Island.”
The “Fantasy Island” reboot shares co-production between Sony Pictures Television, which produced the original series, Sony’s Gemstone Studios and Fox Entertainment.
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Created by Gene Levitt, the original “Fantasy Island” ran from 1977 to 1984 on ABC. The show starred Ricardo Montalbán as Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant Tattoo, who welcomed guests to live out their “fantasies” on the island for a price. The IP was revived for one season in 1998 and received the horror-movie treatment back in February.
“In continuing to develop outside of the traditional broadcast cycle, we’ve been particularly focused on providing viewers with summer series that offer a true escape from everyday life — to be sure, now so more than ever,” Michael Thorn, president of entertainment at Fox Entertainment, said. “‘Fantasy Island’ is a beloved program, and the world Liz and Sarah have created for this contemporary adaptation is signature Fox and a perfect show for today’s times. After all, who among us wouldn’t take a (safe) trip to Fantasy Island right now?”
Jeff Frost, Sony Pictures Television president, and his co-president, Jason Clodfelter, added: “‘Fantasy Island’ has always been one of our most popular and iconic series and when we heard Liz and Sarah’s vision of this world, we immediately knew they were onto something special. We can’t think of better partners than Fox to work on this entirely novel take on this classic property — this is truly a wonderful and exciting way to launch our new venture, Gemstone Studios.”
Along with “The Fix,” Fain and Craft’s notable TV credits include “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” spinoff “Angel,” “The Shield,” “The 100,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “Lie To Me.”
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