'Murder, She Wrote' reboot in the works with Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer, like several other movie stars we could name, is now plotting a move to TV.

Big stars, small screen: Movie actors flock to TV

The Oscar winning actress is on board to star in a reboot of "Murder, She Wrote," which is in the works at NBC, Deadline reports. It would be "The Help" star's first regular series role.

The original "Murder, She Wrote" is a popular part of TV history, running for 12 seasons on CBS with Angela Lansbury starring as mystery writer/amateur detective Jessica Fletcher.

The reboot will re-imagine the classic program as "a light, contemporary procedural" akin to Fox's "Bones." Spencer will play a hospital administrator/self-published mystery novelist who also happens to have a talent for sleuthing. "Set in a day where sensational headlines inundate the news, this woman's avid fascination with true crime leads her to become an active participant in investigations," Deadline describes.

"Desperate Housewives" writer/producer Alexandra Cunningham is writing the reboot, which has a put pilot commitment from NBC, and "Six Feet Under" EP David Janollari is producing.

Trying to succeed Angela Lansbury and her iconic character, who reigned from 1984 to 1996, is a herculean task, not to mention the fact that "Murder, She Wrote" was amazingly successful, bringing in 23 million viewers on Sunday nights during its peak. What do you think, will NBC be able to pull it off?