Laverne Cox, the actress who made history for being the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an acting Emmy Award, has been cast as the cross-dressing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Fox's upcoming "Rocky Horror Picture Show" special.
Cox will have some big high heels to fill as she takes on Tim Curry's iconic role in the special, which is slated to air
sometime in the fall of 2016, according to Variety. Curry starred in the stage version of "Rocky Horror" before reprising it for the 1975 film.
The star of Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black" will be directed by Kenny Ortega of "High School Musical," who will also choreograph and act as executive producer on the project.
The two-hour movie will be produced by Gail Berman through Jackal Group with Fox 21 Television Studios.
The original movie also starred Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick as couple Janet Weiss and Brad Major who happened upon Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a sexually ambiguous mad scientist.
"The production aims to stick close to the original, innuendo-laced
script from 1975," the Los Angeles Times' Meredith Woerner wrote. "And while it will be enjoyable to watch Fox squirm around some of the more salacious moments, all that matters is who they cast to fill Tim Curry's high heels."
Some on social media expressed excitement about the announcement of Cox in the role.
Johnny Oleksinski, of the New York Post, though, felt Cox's casting was a mistake and thought producers would have been better off with a newcomer.
"Since the audience had no idea who Curry was, there were no expectations to live up to," Oleksinski wrote. "He had total freedom to go wild, and so he did. Cox was likely picked for her flirtiness and sensuality — certainly another aspect of the role — not to mention her topicality and large coterie of admirers."
"But Cox's acting — what we've seen of it so far — is nuanced, restrained and, well, hardly a laugh riot. Her supporting performance as Sophia on Netflix's 'Orange Is the New Black' is full of ennui, actually, as she rebuilds her frayed relationship with a young son, who is trying to re-think his dad as a mom."
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