Charmed reboot getting an LGBT twist

In the Charmed reboot, one of the sisters will be a lesbian.
Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan Photo credit: The WB

The revival of hit 1990s TV series Charmed is being described as a "fierce, funny, feminist reboot" that will feature an LGBT main character.

Rose McGowan, Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano played Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Prue in the original series; sisters who used their supernatural powers to fight evil.

The Charmed reboot is casting three leads to play Macy, Mel and Madison, with "all ethnicities" being sought for the new roles, rather than another all-white line-up.

While some fans perceived subtle gay elements in the original show, the reboot is making it overt - Mel is described as "a strong-willed feminist... in her mid-20s and a lesbian".

"In the wake of a tragic accident, the grieving Mel becomes angry, defiantly unkempt, even violent, pushing away those who might help her, including her girlfriend, Detective Soo Jin," the character description reads.

"Mel's power is time-freezing."

Macy, the oldest sister, is a Ph.D in quantum physics with the power of telekinesis, while Madison is the youngest at 18.

She's described as "the opposite of her feminist sister", as a pilates-practicing, cheerleading college student "with a desire to fit in" and the power of hearing people's thoughts.

The original cast have given mixed responses on social media.

Combs tweeted about the news in early 2017 saying "we wish them well", but a year later slammed the idea as "capitalising on our hard work".

McGowan tweeted a picture of the original cast with the message "irreplaceable", but has also recently hit out at co-star Milano, calling her "a lie". Milano herself simply praised Charmed fans as "the best of the best".

The new Charmed is being written by Jane the Virgin scribes Jessica O'Toole and Amy Rardin for US network The CW.

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