If only anyone cared about anything as much as Hollywood cares about making Fantasy Island a thing again. The ABC series, which ran from 1978 to 1984, has been rebooted twice now, first as a one-season series in the late ‘90s and then as a dunderheaded Blumhouse horror movie earlier this year. Now, despite the IP’s spotty record, Fox is inviting viewers once again to an island where visitors can live out their fantasies—with a twist!
Co-produced by Sony Pictures Television, the reboot 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,” adding that episodes 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.”
Liz Craft and Sarah Fain, who developed ABC’s The Fix and have written for series like The Shield and Angel, are behind the series, which Fox has blessed with a straight-to-series order. Per a press release, it’s set to premiere next summer, which feels soon.
“In continuing to develop outside of the traditional broadcast cycle, we’ve been particularly focused on providing viewers with summer series that offer a true escape from everyday life—to be sure, now more than ever,” Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn said in a statement. “Fantasy Island is a beloved program, and the world Liz and Sarah have created for this contemporary adaptation is signature Fox and a perfect show for today’s times. After all, who among us wouldn’t take a (safe) trip to Fantasy Island right now?”
(He’s referring to that Kim Kardashian island debacle, right?)