She was not into it...

Why Angela Lansbury Opposed A 'Murder, She Wrote' Remake

For over a decade, Angela Lansbury was the star of the great crime series Murder, She Wrote. But the legendary actress was very opposed to a reboot of the series that was in the works several years back. Here's why she was so against it.

Murder, She Wrote is one of the top TV shows ever made.

So it's not too surprising that NBC once dreamt of rebooting the show, which starred Angela Lansbury as writer-detective "Jessica Fletcher" from 1984 to 1996. It never ended up happening, but Lansbury sure made her thoughts known about the idea.

Why Angela Lansbury opposed Murder, She Wrote reboot

The reboot was in the news back in 2013 and had Octavia Spencer lined up for the lead role. It was described as a "reimagining" of the original series, with Spencer as a hospital worker who was also a sleuth and writer of mystery novels.

Why Angela Lansbury Opposed Murder, She Wrote Reboot

However, many fans were quite unhappy about it all, and none other than Lansbury herself joined the wave of backlash about the remake.

Lansbury appeared insulted by the reboot's plan to keep the title from her series while leaving behind her character and the trademark setting. In 2013, Lansbury told the LA Times:

"I think it's a mistake to call it Murder, She Wrote, because Murder, She Wrote will always be about Cabot Cove and this wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is a rare and very individual kind of person."

And it appears NBC heard the outrage loud and clear. Not even three months later, the reboot was scrapped and has never resurfaced. Spencer, meanwhile, has mainly stuck to film work outside of a few streaming TV roles.