Starring television icons Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York (and later Dick Sargent), Bewitched was as much a staple of afternoon fun as Anzac biscuits and milk for generations of Aussie kids in the 1960s and ’70s.
And now a green light has been given to a big-budget reboot of Bewitched, with former child star Erin Murphy, who played blonde-haired little girl witch Tabitha Stephens, confirming she’s hoping for a part.
“I was flooded with emails this morning. I think the timing is right for this one. Hope it gets made and there’s at least a tiny part for me,” she told fans amid news of the reboot.
There have been several attempts to bring the classic TV favourite back to life over the years following the success of a 2005 Hollywood movie version starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell.
But this proposed reboot is already underway with writer producer Judalina Neira, whose credits include huge TV hits like The Boys and Daisy Jones And The Six.
She has signed on with Sony to produce an “irreverent hourlong reimagination of the classic TV series”.
She’s promising to write and produce a “hooky, character-forward show that will dish up delight with a bite” and the internet is already going wild with suggestions of who could play the memorable characters.
There’s no word yet on who would take on the lead roles of 1960s suburban housewife and secret witch Samantha, who tries not to use her magical powers to keep her mortal advertising executive husband Darrin happy.
But there’s rumoured to be no shortage of big stars lining up to take on the iconic roles made so famous by Elizabeth and Dick in the original series, which ran for eight seasons in the US from 1964 to 1972, and has aired almost nonstop in Australia for five decades.
Certainly Erin, who is now 59, has made no secret of the fact that she would love a chance to rejoin the show that made her one of the most famous toddlers in the world – and had generations of kids trying to twitch their noses and make magic.
“I had a ball! Working on Bewitched was such fun. I was only two when I landed the role. I recall my six years on the show vividly,” she told Woman’s Day in an exclusive interview.
“As it was a supernatural series with witchcraft and magic, it was like Disneyland for a wide-eyed kid like me. I used to get so excited when elephants and monkeys visited the set.”
When the actress posted her plea to be included in the reboot on Facebook, one of her friends, Bob Bergen, chimed in, suggesting Miriam Margolyes as kooky Aunt Clara, Patrick Stewart as Maurice, Helen Mirren as mischief-making mum witch Endora, Molly Shannon as Esmeralda and Tracey Ullman as nosy neighbour Gladys Kravitz, with Steve Carell as her husband Abner.
Now that’s a bewitching cast!
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