Laverne Cox set to head up Fox's Rocky Horror TV remake

While on paper, Fox’s proposed remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show might have seemed like sacrilege to the original’s legion of devotees, the network has announced a piece of casting news, which might just win them round. According to an official press release, Orange Is The New Black's Laverne Cox will be starring as Frank-N-Furter, stepping into the considerable stilettos left by original star Tim Curry.

The new version of the uber-camp classic, which turned 40 this year, is being described as “event programming”, and will take the form of a two-hour special scheduled to air at the end of 2016. High School Musical’s Kenny Ortega is the brains behind the operation, having been hired to direct, choreograph and exec produce the project.

While Curry’s performance is rightly hailed as iconic, we can’t think of a much better replacement for the sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania than Cox, whose turn as OITNB’s Sophia is one of that show’s strongest elements. Start warming up those vocal cords because it’s nearly time to do the Timewarp... again!