Because the US entertainment industry's reservoir of creativity is deader than a dire wolf in the La Brea tar pits, CBS Television Studios is plundering my childhood yet again to reboot the late-80s panty-creamer Beauty and the Beast, which starred Linda Hamilton as feisty Assistant District Attorney Catherine Chandler and Ron Perlman as beastly humanoid sewer-dweller Vincent. (IMDb: "The adventures and romance of a sensitive and cultured lion-man and a crusading District Attorney assistant." LULZ.) It was your basic kick off your shoulderpads and crack open a bottle of Riunite furry cosplayer fairy tale for professional ladies.
Anyway! The reboot is coming soon (that's what she said):
Sources confirm to TVLine exclusively that CBS Television Studios is developing a reboot of the ’80s cult classic Beauty and the Beast for The CW.Yay for women-helmed shows! Of course, the fact that this is being developed for the teen-catering CW, and is returning to air in the middle of a nasty feminist backlash permeating every corner of pop culture, does not suggest that the show is likely to end up on the ol' Shakes Manor DVR.
The original series, which ran on CBS from 1987 to 1990, starred Ron Perlman as the mythic man beast and Linda Hamilton as the object of his affection.
The new version will not only modernize and CW-up the love story but also add a procedural twist. Nice pedigree, too: Without a Trace vet Jennifer Levin and Brothers & Sisters' Sherri Cooper will pen the script and serve as executive producers.
But hope sproings eternal! Sproingity sproing! It's not like there isn't a rich vein of patriarchy-deconstruction to be mined from a Beauty and the Beast retelling, by anyone who's inclined to go that intriguing route. Sproing!
Casting Predictions: An unknown Kristin Stewart-lookalike as Catherine. The Jonas Brothers as Vincent.
