Tim Curry, the actor who rose to cult star playing the sweet transvestite Dr Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, will return to the show when US television network brings back the musical for a two-hour special as part of a Halloween special, although he will take on the role played by Charles Gray in the 1975 movie, The Criminologist.
Curry became an iconic figure in 1975 when his spirited performance as the Dr Frank N Furter, the transvestite transsexual from Transylvania, became a surprise hit at midnight screenings around the world. Curry had previously played the role in the 1973 stage production of the musical, written by Richard O’ Brien.
Curry, now 69, has worked regularly as a voice actor throughout his career, though this will mark his first onscreen appearance since a cameo in the feature film Burke & Hare. In 2013, the British actor suffered a stroke and has since been wheelchair bound.
Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox will play the lead role in the Fox adaptation, with pop star Adam Lambert taking on the part made famous by Meat Loaf, playing Eddie, the motorcycle-riding delivery boy. As Janet, the role originally played by Susan Sarandon, Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice will pair with Disney-star Ryan McCartan as Brad, played by Barry Bostwick in 1975.
Penny Dreadful actor Reeve Carney, who played the title role in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, will play Riff Raff, the part immortalised by Richard O’Brien in the original.
