Piper is not having it! After The CW announced that it had ordered a pilot for a Charmed reboot with a new story line, Holly Marie Combs, who starred in the original version of the supernatural drama, tweeted her displeasure.
“Here’s the thing. Until you ask us to rewrite it like Brad Kern did weekly don’t even think of capitalizing on our hard work,” she tweeted on Friday, January 26. “Charmed belongs to the 4 of us, our vast amount of writers, crews and predominantly the fans. FYI you will not fool them by owning a title/stamp. So bye.”
Here’s the thing. Until you ask us to rewrite it like Brad Kern did weekly don’t even think of capitalizing on our hard work. Charmed belongs to the 4 of us, our vast amount of writers, crews and predominantly the fans. FYI you will not fool them by owning a title/stamp. So bye.
— Holly Marie Combs (@H_Combs) January 26, 2018
The network revealed the description for the new show on Thursday, January 25. “This fierce, funny, feminist reboot of the original series centers on three sisters in a college town who discover they are witches,” the description reads. “Between vanquishing supernatural demons, tearing down the patriarchy, and maintaining familial bonds, a witch’s work is never done.”
In regards to the feminist story line, the Pretty Little Liars star, 44, tweeted: “Guess we forgot to do that the first go around. Hmph.”
Guess we forgot to do that the first go around. Hmph. https://t.co/kDXLBefuSG
— Holly Marie Combs (@H_Combs) January 26, 2018
The hit series originally ran on The WB for eight seasons from 1998 to 2006, and starred Alyssa Milano (Phoebe Halliwell), Shannen Doherty (Prue Halliwell), Combs (Piper Halliwell) and Rose McGowan (Paige Matthews). The show was about a group of sister-witches who protected innocent people from demons and was created by Constance M. Burge, produced by Aaron Spelling and executive produced by Brad Kern.
Doherty also spoke about the revival last October, telling The Hollywood Reporter that she didn’t see it happening. “I mean, I just don’t ever foresee it happening now,” the actress, 46, said at the time. “It would be far too soon, but I also don’t think you need the original cast for a reboot. I know our fans really want us back, but who knows? We were basically a reboot of Practical Magic in its own way, so they could redo it, but now it should just rest.”
Milano also addressed the reboot rumors in July: “I’ll tell you everything I know: the last few years, CBS Studios — not the network, the studio — has been trying to reboot Charmed without any of the old cast members. They just want to use the franchise.”
The CW confirmed early last year that the new project was in the works. The original version of the reboot was to take place in the ‘70s, but the new version will be set in the present day, like the original series. Jane the Virgin writers Jessica O’Toole and Amy Rardin have been tapped by the network to create the story and write the pilot. No cast announcements have been made yet.
