Planned remake of 'Murder, She Wrote' nixed

In this Jan. 7, 2013 file photo, actress Angela Lansbury poses for photos in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)

LONDON - Angela Lansbury says she's relieved that a planned remake of her classic whodunit series "Murder, She Wrote" has been cancelled.

Lansbury had been critical of NBC's idea of a reboot starring Octavia Spencer. The entertainment website Deadline.com reported this week that NBC was not going ahead with the show.

Lansbury said Thursday she thought the remake was a bad idea from the start. She said she had "too much admiration" for Spencer "to saddle her with the awful responsibility" of having to rework the much-loved show.

The 88-year-old actress is about to perform on London's West End stage for the first time in almost 40 years, as the medium Madame Arcati in Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit."

Lansbury won a Tony Award for the role on Broadway.