Return toFantasy Islandin the new reboot series coming to FOX. The new teaser released by FOX showcases the new series starring Roselyn Sanchez, Kiara Barnes, and John Gabriel Rodriguez. This reboot series will be a return to television forFantasy Islandafter Blumhouse’s horror movie adaptation. Here is the official synopsis.
“Delving into the “what if” questions – both big and small – that keep us awake at night, each episode will tell emotional, provocative stories about people who arrive with dreams and desires and depart enlightened and transformed through the magical realism ofFantasy Island. Serving as steward of this mysterious island is ELENA ROARKE (Roselyn Sanchez,Devious Maids,Grand Hotel), a descendant of the iconic Mr. Roarke. Elena set aside her own ambitions, and even the love of her life, to uphold her family’s legacy. Sophisticated, insightful and always charming, her calm exterior masks the challenges of the responsibilities she has assumed. Assisting Elena is RUBY OKORO (Kiara Barnes,The Bold and the Beautiful), a young woman with an old soul who arrives onFantasy Islandwith a terminal illness and is given a new lease on life there; and pilot JAVIER (John Gabriel Rodriquez,Miranda’s Rights,Rosewood), who also is the head of island transportation and a jack of all trades.”
Theoriginal series starred Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaizeas his assistant, Tattoo, who welcomed tourists to their island where they could live out their wildest dreams. However, this wish fulfillment was often matched with some twisted counterpart.Fantasy Islandran from 1977-1984 on ABC and contained a total of 154 episodes. There was also a one season revival in 1998 and two TV movies.
The series delved into many horror elements, but never fully committed to horror. In 2020, Blumhouse imaginedFantasy Islandas a full-on horror film, but the results were not great. The 2020 Blumhouse film starred Lucy Hale, Michael Pena, Maggie Q, Michael Rooker, and is directed by Jeff Wadlow. The film was almost unanimously hated by critics scoring an abysmal 8% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. It was considered one of the worst films of 2020. Still, it managed to turn a profit, grossing $48.5 million on a $7 million budget.
The film was even nominated for several Razzie awards including Worst Picture, Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off, or Sequel, Worst Supporting Actress, and Worst Screenplay. It ended up losing Worst Picture toAbsolute Proof, the documentary from Mike Lindell.
For the FOX reboot, the only clear difference so far is that Mr. Roarke has been gender-swapped. Sanchez will be playing a descendant of Mr. Roarke so we can only wait and see if she is as twisted as he was. The new series will premiere on Fox on August 10th. The reboot is coming from Sony Pictures Television and Fox Entertainment.
For those looking to check out the original series or take a trip down nostalgia lane,Fantasy Islandcan be found streaming on Tubi. There are also 3 seasons of the series available on Crackle and Plex.
