‘Fantasy Island’ to get reboot with female protagonist

On Monday Deadline reported the show will be back, but with a female lead. Beyond that, as Deadline reports, the latest reboot will not be set on an island, but would rather use Fantasy Island as the name of a high-tech company that creates digital fantasy settings for clients. No word on if someone will play the iconic role of “Tattoo”, made famous by little person actor Hervé Villechaize and his opening line “de plane!” It aired from 1977 to 1984. The original Fantasy Island aired during the 1970s with Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke, the man that can make your every fantasy come true. Alongside Montalban, Villechaize starred as Roarke’s dimunitive valet, Tattoo. The 3-foot 11-inch Villechaize became a breakout star upon the series debut, sending his memorable catch phrase – De plane!

Yet network executives now say they hope to revisit the property, with a female lead and a few other changes. Instead of taking place on an island where people pay to live out their fantasies, as was the case in the original series and the 1998 version, the new project will be set at a company named Fantasy Island that helps fulfill its clients’ deepest, darkest fantasies. Much like the original, episodes are expected to focus on two fantasies each and, along the way, there will also be storylines about Ms. Roarke.

Fantasy Island joins several TV shows getting reboots this season, including Hart to Hart on NBC, Xena: Warrior Princess and The A-Team.