Nigel Lythgoe Developing a New TV Series Based on Fame

Nigel Lythgoe, the executive producer behind American Idoland So You Think You Can Dance, is partnering with MGM Television to create a scripted series based on the 1980 film (and later TV show) Fame, Deadline reports.

The new series will stick to the formula of the original, following a group of students on the road to success. However, the new show will be set against the backdrop of  present-day obsession with celebrity and fame.

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Debbie Allen, star of the original series, says she thinks the reboot is "a great idea." "Nigel talked to me about it about six months ago, maybe longer," Allen told TVGuide.com on the set of Grey's Anatomy Tuesday. "He's been trying to get these rights for a while. I'm glad that MGM is partnering with him. He's a great, such an incredible advocate for the dance world. He cut his teeth on Fame back in the day, so I think it's terrific."

Though Allen said she's unsure whether she'll be involved with the new series, she says she'll always hold a soft spot in her heart for the original. "Fame [is] always going to be a part of me and belong to me," she told TVGuide.com. "Whatever [reincarnation] it comes back in, it will always be a part of me."

A remake of the original film version was released in 2009, starring Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth.