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When Fox announced that it was remaking "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" as a TV movie, not everyone thought it was a great idea.

Some longtime fans of the original 1975 theatrical film thought it was a terrible idea and took to social media to voice their concerns.

"There was a tremendous backlash from fans," said producer Lou Adler. But the backlash subsided "when Tim signed on."

That would be Tim Curry, who originated the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter onstage and starred in the 1975 movie.

"Tim came along and validated it," said Adler, the executive producer of the 1975 film who returns as a producer of the TV movie reboot.

"I actually offered myself as Dr. Scott because I was already in a wheelchair," joked Curry. "They thought the narrator was a better fit, and I enjoyed it a lot."

(Curry suffered a stroke several years ago and is indeed in a wheelchair. He speaks somewhat slowly, but clearly.)

"Having Tim Curry greenlight this meant so much to myself and, I'm sure, for all of us," said Ben Vereen, who plays Dr. Scott. "I couldn't wait to get there just to be able to work with Tim Curry."

The new "Rocky Horror Picture Show" — subtitled "Let's Do the Time Warp Again" — is not hugely different from the original.

"What Kenny and I said in the beginning was to be true to the original, but make it contemporary," Adler said.

And it retells the same tale, set in the 1960s. Young sweethearts Brad (Ryan McCartan) and Janet (Victoria Justice), stranded by a storm, knock on the door of the nearest castle. Inside, Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Laverne Cox) is hosting the annual Transylvanian Science Convention, where she unveils her latest creation — Rocky Horror (Staz Nair), the gorgeous, muscle-bound man of her dreams.

The cast includes Adam Lambert as Eddie, Reeve Carney as Riff Raff, Annaleigh Ashford as Columbia, Christina Milian as Magenta, Ivy Levan as Usherette and Ben Vereen as Dr. Everett Scott. And they're performing the same musical numbers — including "Science Fiction/Double Feature," "Dammit Janet," "Time Warp" and "Sweet Transvestite."

"I fell in love with this project in 1973 when I saw Tim do it," said director Kenny Ortega, "and I saw him over and over and over at the Roxy in Los Angeles. And I've been a fan all these years."

Curry originated the role onstage in London in 1973, then took it to Los Angeles in 1974 and a brief run on Broadway in 1975. He said he endorses the TV movie remake.

"I do, indeed," he said.

If there's a defining role in Curry's career, which stretches back almost half a century, Dr. Frank-N-Furter is it. That he remains so closely identified with "Rocky Horror" isn't something that bothers the actor.

"There's not a lot I can do about it, really," he said.

Curry played Frank-N-Furter as a transvestite, singing the lyrics, "I'm just a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania."

The lyrics remain the same in the remake, but the producers went in a different direction for the TV movie, casting Cox ("Orange Is the New Black") — a transgender woman — as Frank-N-Furter.

"In a way, Laverne was perfect because we thought: We have found someone that will not be compared to Tim Curry," Adler said. "Because you lose if you're comparing to Tim Curry."

The project has been in development, off and on, at Fox for more than a decade.

"It was kind of crazy over the 10 years," said executive producer Gail Berman, who, when she was Fox's top programmer, bought into the project in 2005. "But I think sometimes projects have a way of finding the timing that they're supposed to have. And I think Laverne kind of made this happen in her own time and in our own time."

"Having a transgender, amazingly talented woman playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter, I think, is such a reflection of where we are today as a society," Justice said.

And it's worth pointing out that Frank-N-Furter is actually an alien.

"So there's a lot of room there," said Ortega, who called Cox "a force."

"We were just looking for the right actor that could come in here and just breathe life into this and fun into this and imagination into this and to liberate this character and to play with the transformation of this wonderful story."

"She's a force," Ortega said, adding that when Cox auditioned she brought "something into the room that made us all realize there was no B plan. That if we could land this person in this role, that she had so much to give to it — a life experience, an incredible depth of talent, an enthusiasm and a respect, an incredible respect for this film, all that has mattered. She was just an absolute joy."

"Rocky Horror" the TV movie cannot, however, re-create the experience of seeing it in the theater.

"It's really an audience film," Adler said.

Audience participation, that is. Throwing rice, toast and playing cards; holding newspapers over your head; yelling vulgar comments when Brad or Janet appear on the screen — it doesn't have the same effect sitting on your living-room couch.

But Ortega tried to incorporate that theater experience. Sort of.

"We wanted to make sure the callbacks didn't get in the way of telling a story but that celebrated the telling of a story," he said.

The solution — a few scenes that show an audience watching the show in a theater and getting into the callbacks.

"We wanted to celebrate the fans with this new departure," Ortega said. "The celebration of the fandom, the 41 years, the midnight screenings, the adoration, was just really important that we had that aspect that was connected as a character to this new piece."

Twitter: @ScottDPierce —

On TV

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again" airs Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. on Fox/Ch. 13.