The actress playing Nancy Drew in forthcoming CBS series definitely won't be white
CBS' Nancy Drew is going to look a little different than the blond-haired, blue-eyed character described in the books. According to CBS Entertainment president Glenn Geller, the forthcoming Nancy Drew television series will be casting a woman of color in the lead role.
"[She will] not [be] Caucasian. I'd be open to any ethnicity," Geller told The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday. "We have a lot of new series in development, both series targeted to have full African-American or Latino casts but also many leads that are being developed [as diverse]. We're not casting color blind, we're casting color conscious."
The new Nancy Drew series will break from the books in other ways, as well: It will take place in modern times, with Nancy in her 30s and working for the NYPD.
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The Nancy Drew series was originally created by Edward Stratemeyer in the 1930s, and published under the name Carolyn Keene. While there have been numerous adaptations of the series over the years, the most recent Nancy Drew was played by Emma Roberts in a 2007 release.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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