Fox has booked a trip to Fantasy Island.
The network has handed a straight-to-series order to a contemporary reboot of the late-’70s/early ’80s ABC drama, to hail from executive producers Liz Craft and Sarah Fain (The 100) and air in summer 2021.
The reimagined Fantasy Island is being billed as a “semi-anthology” series “that delves into the ‘what if’ questions, both big and small, that keep us awake at night,” according to the official logline. “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.”
“[W]e’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 in a statement. “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?”
In addition to The 100, Craft and Fain’s credits include Angel, Lie to Me, The Shield, The Vampire Diaries and Women’s Murder Club. They most recently co-created the ABC drama The Fix, alongside former O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark.
The original Fantasy Island ran for seven seasons on ABC, from 1977 to 1984, and starred Ricardo Montalbán (as Mr. Roarke) and Hervé Villechaize (as his assistant Tattoo). A short-lived reboot featuring Malcolm McDowell and Mädchen Amick aired in 1998, lasting just 13 episodes.
Earlier this year, a feature-length horror adaptation starring Michael Peña, Maggie Q and Lucy Hale grossed nearly $ 50 million at the box office (but earned a dismal seven percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes).
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