Jamie Lee Curtis is rumored to succeed Angela Lansbury in an iconic role, and no, it’s not a dancing teapot

Deadline reported that although it hasn’t been confirmed, Curtis could play Jessica Fletcher in Universal’s Murder, She Wrote film. The publication says she is the favorite right now, and considering how hilarious and witty Curtis is, who could blame the producers for wanting to cast her?

Murder, She Wrote aired on CBS for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 and told the story of the main character, a novelist who lives in Cabot Cove, Maine and who investigates (you guessed it!) murders. Although Curtis has appeared on several TV shows, including the truly unhinged second season of Scream Queens and her latest Amazon Prime Video series The Sticky, she is better known for her big screen roles. She has that in common with the late Lansbury, who said that she agreed to star on Murder, She Wrote “to make some money.” However, Lansbury’s mysterious TV character became one of her most attention-grabbing, along with her work voicing Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast.

Lansbury said in the same interview that Jessica was “goofy” at first and then “I made her a woman of my age and of my intellect.” There’s no doubt that Curtis could do the same thing. Whether portraying a final girl in several popular scary flicks or a relatable mom like in You Again, the actress is always in total command of her craft. It would be a slam dunk to see her play Jessica.

The Halloween star told Variety that her acting career was altered by winning an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once. She said, “I’ve had that shift. The unexpected moment last year has just kept growing and rolling and it’s been beautiful.” On a personal note, I’ve never forgotten watching Curtis hilariously exclaim eaten French fries in years in Freaky Friday. And, of course, I’m among the many who can’t get enough of her time as Laurie Strode (even if not every Halloween movie is worth watching).

Curtis is definitely the right choice to follow in Lansbury’s talented footsteps, and there’s another reason why this is a fun idea. Besides being smart and talented, the two stars have something else in common: starring in the Knives Out franchise. Curtis starred in the first film as the wealthy Linda Drysdale. Lansbury played herself in the sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which was her final movie part before her death in 2022. If someone other than the great Lansbury is going to play Jessica, who else could it be but Curtis?

Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker Blum (who wrote Dumb Money, the 2023 movie based on that whole fascinating Gamestop situation) are writing the Murder, She Wrote film. If it’s even half as clever as that one, everyone is in for a treat. So, everyone should cross their fingers that Curtis will officially be offered the role. She deserves the amazing career she continues to have, and I’m now as excited for Murder, She Wrote as I am for Freakier Friday. I bet she would solve every single mystery that comes her way, no problem.