ABC planning a 'Fantasy Island' reboot
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ricardo Montalban and Herve Villechaize as Mr. Roarke and Tattoo (l-r) from tv series "Fantasy Island." (AP)
They’re kidding, right?
ABC has given the go-ahead for an attempted second reboot of its cheesy ’70s series “Fantasy Island” — this time with a woman in the role immortalized by Ricardo Montalban.
The new version would follow “a brilliant, dynamic and sexy woman who runs a San Francisco-based company that provides clients with his/her most intimate, dark or outlandish fantasy,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The original series starred Montalban as the suave, mysterious, Mr. Roarke — always clad in a white suit — and Herve Villechaize as Tattoo, his pint-sized sidekick (“De plane! De plane”).
MORE: Shonda Rhimes' shows suck and here's how to fix them
They ran an island in the Pacific where people paid big bucks to live out their (G-rated) fantasies.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The show, produced by Aaron Spelling, ran from 1978-84 and was part of Spelling’s TV empire, which included “Love Boat” and “Charlie’s Angels.” All three series aired concurrently.
ABC revived “Fantasy Island” 1998 with Malcolm McDowell as Roarke (there was no Tattoo character). That series was axed halfway through its run.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post.