The ‘Sweet Transvestite’ from transexual Transylvania will be played by a Sweet Transgender in FOX’s new remake of the ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’.

Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter in the original ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’

Emmy Award-nominated actress Laverne Cox, famous for her role as hairdresser Sophia on the hit Netflix series ‘Orange Is The New Black’ has been cast in the iconic role of Doctor Frank-N-Furter, the sexually ravenous mad scientist/alien made immortal by Tim Curry in the original 1975 film version which lives on today in audience interactive midnight screenings.

‘Rocky Horror’ is simultaneously one of the most awful movies ever made and a cult phenomenon, thanks to fan interactions which include cosplay, sing-alongs and throwing dry rice and toilet paper (among other things) at the screen.  Thanks to these additions, the B-movie has been running in theaters nonstop for 40 years!

The new version, which will run for two hours, won’t debut until next fall on FOX (darn the antici……….. pation!) and will follow a live presentation of ‘Grease’ in the spring.  Kenny Ortega (‘Hocus Pocus’, ‘Newsies’, ‘High School Musical’ 1, 2 and 3) will direct, choreograph and executive produce the new ‘Rocky Horror’.  Also executive producing is Lou Adler, who exec produced the original film.  FOX’s Gail Berman will produce.

Last month, the BBC aired a live performance of the show which featured among others Stephen Fry, Anthony Head and Spice Girl Emma Bunton as narrators.

Cox is most famous for ‘OITNB’ but since that show’s debut in 2013, has become the face of the transgender equality movement, landing the cover of ‘Time’ magazine and many other publications.  She was recently cast in the new CBS series ‘Doubt’ which is currently in development.

Cox graced the Broadway stage for the ‘Broadway Bares’ AIDS fundraiser, decked out in a very Frank-N-Furter-esque corseted getup.  You can watch her energetic performance below and judge for yourself if she can fill the enormous pumps of Tim Curry in the reboot:

Are you excited to see a new live stage performance of ‘Rocky Horror’ on TV?  Or does the thrill of slinging dry rice and toilet paper lose its appeal when you know you have to clean it up afterward?  Dammit!

Source: Entertainment Weekly