The beloved ’60s sitcom *Bewitched* is set to get a sparkling new reboot thanks to FOX and Sony Pictures Television, more than fifty years after the original show wrapped. This hour-long reimagining of *Bewitched* is helmed by writer and executive producer Judalina Neira, best known for her work on *The Boys* and *Daisy Jones and the Six*, alongside executive producer Doug Robinson.
According to Deadline, the “heartfelt” reboot will focus on the love story of Samantha and Darrin before the events of the original show unfold. “Though they come from two wildly different worlds—he’s a human, she’s a witch—for Samantha and Darrin, it’s love at first sight,” the outlet shared. “But in order to be together, they’ll have to navigate their disapproving parents, walk a tightrope of cultural clashes, and bridge the divides between their families and worlds.”
The original *Bewitched* ran for eight seasons from 1964 to 1972 on ABC and was created by Sol Saks. The series followed a beautiful housewife, Samantha (played by Elizabeth Montgomery), who happened to be a witch. She was married to Darrin, a normal man, and the show documented the chaos of their lives as Samantha balanced her magical powers with being a wife and mother.
Over the years, many attempts at reboots have been made, including a spinoff about their daughter, Tabitha, which aired on ABC in 1977. Currently, a live-action series focused on a pre-teen Tabitha is in the works, helmed by Sony Pictures Television Kids.
In addition to these projects, a notable *Bewitched* reboot was released in 2005 starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. This film offered an unusual spin on the original story of Samantha and Darrin. The synopsis reads:
“Movie star Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) has hit a rough patch in his career. Looking to make a comeback, he signs on to play the role of Darrin in a movie version of the popular 1960s sitcom *Bewitched*. Jack insists that an unknown is hired to play Darrin’s better half, the beguiling witch-housewife Samantha, so the studio finds an up-and-comer named Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman). Once shooting begins, though, Jack learns that Isabel was cast too well since she actually is a witch.”
Will Ferrell recently reflected on his time filming *Bewitched* during an interview with Stephen Colbert, who also appeared in the 2005 film.
“Nicole Kidman’s over there across the studio, and me and all the other people playing the writers are at video village ‘watching’ the first scene,” Stephen recalled. He then asked Will, “When the scene’s over, do you remember what you came and said to us? You came over because when the scene started and when [director Nora Ephron] said, ‘Action,’ we saw why Nicole Kidman was a movie star. The moment she called ‘Action,’ she flipped some switch. She became the most alluring and beautiful woman. She’s a beautiful woman, but something preternatural happened.”
Will continued, “You walked over and said, ‘I couldn’t remember any of my lines. I couldn’t get out of her eyes. What the just [expletive] just happened out there?’ And we all went, ‘I don’t know.'”
He joked, “It was like an alien being had come and told us ‘Everything’s going to be okay.'”
With fresh creative minds behind it and a focus on the heartfelt romance between Samantha and Darrin, this new *Bewitched* reboot looks set to enchant both longtime fans and new audiences alike. Stay tuned for more updates as the project develops.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/865433/iconic-60s-sitcom-bewitched-set-for-reboot-five-decades-later/