Gene Levitt’s Fantasy Island, which originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1984, is getting rebooted by Fox. From writers and executive producers Liz Craft and Sarah Fain, the Sony Pictures Television, Gemstone Studios, and Fox Entertainment co-production is slated for a summer 2021 debut. Best known for their collaborative work on The Shield, and Joss Whedon’s cult hits Angel and Dollhouse, Craft and Fain’s involvement in this latest project is cause for optimism.

Of course, this is far from the first time that the property has been given new life: ABC had aired a new version of Fantasy Island in 1998, cancelling it after just one season. Then again just last year, Blumhouse and Columbia Pictures released a prequel and horror reimagining of the show, which was met with overwhelmingly negative reviews.

This time however, the series is described as “a modern semi-anthology series that delves 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 walk in with a desire, but end up reborn to themselves through the magical realism of Fantasy Island,” according to Fox’s recent press release.

Will this soapy reimagining fulfil the network’s fantasy of cashing in on yet another rebooted property? Time will tell.

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