Orange Is The New Black's Laverne Cox signs on for Fox's Rocky Horror Picture Show reboot

The role was made iconic by English actor Tim Curry in both the original Broadway show and the 1975 movie, but now it seems as if the torch will finally be passed on, as Orange Is The New Black favourite Laverne Cox is set to star as the all-new Dr Frank-N-Furter in an upcoming Rocky Horror Picture Show reboot from Fox TV.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the two-hour movie is being described as a reimagining of the 20th Century Fox original, which in 2015 celebrated its 40th year in theatrical distribution – longer than any other film in history. It often returns to big screens around the Halloween period every year, which allows it to keep up its appeal to more modern audiences.

High School Musical's Kenny Ortega is set to choreograph, produce and direct the television special, with Lou Adler and Gail Berman coming aboard the project as executive producers. Given Ortega's experience in balancing both story and musical numbers, fans of the original film can expect to see renditions of their favourite songs, including Dammit Janet, Toucha Toucha Touch Me, Sweet Transvestite and, of course, Time Warp. It is scheduled to be broadcast in the autumn of 2016.

In the original cult classic, young, recently engaged couple Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) and Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) stumble across the bizarre residence of Frank-N-Furter after a car breakdown renders them stranded and helpless. Keen to welcome them in, the kooky and flirtatious, alien mad scientist Frank-N-Furter invites them to an annual Transylvanian science convention he's hosting, in honour of showcasing the birth of Rocky Horror – a fit, attractive man created solely to fulfill Frank's desires. As well as the three leads mentioned, the film also featured The Crystal Maze's (and show creator) Richard O'Brien, Christopher Biggins and Meat Loaf.

Cox first found fame through Netflix original series OITNB and even went on to make history as the first transgender actress of colour to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination. Her documentary, Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, also won a Daytime Emmy Award. She is currently filming TV movie Doubt with Katherine Heigl.