'Facts of Life' Reboot in the Works With Leonardo DiCaprio, Jessica Biel to Produce

Another day in Hollywood brings with it a new classic sitcom revival.Sony Pictures TV is said to [...]

Another day in Hollywood brings with it a new classic sitcom revival.

Sony Pictures TV is said to be in the early stages of developing a reboot of beloved series The Facts of Life, with Appian Way, the company run by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson, in negotiations to produce the project along with Jessica Biel via her Iron Ocean Films.

The revival is reportedly still looking for a writer, Deadline reports.

The original Facts of Life, a spinoff of Diff'rent Strokes, aired on NBC from 1979 to 1988, making it one of the longest-running sitcoms of the 1980s. The show starred Charlotte Rae as Edna Garrett, a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, an all-female boarding school in Peekskill, New York.

Garrett later is promoted to school dietician, and four of the girls move into new quarters above the cafeteria. She eventually leaves the school and opens her own business, with help from her girls. The series focused on such issues that teenage girls face as drug use, sex, eating disorders and peer pressure.

The series, created by Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon, was nominated for three Emmys over the course of its nine-year run, including lead actress in a comedy for Rae. Along with Raw, the series starred Lisa Welchel as Blair, Kim Fields as Tootie, Mindy Cohn as Natalie and Nancy McKeon as Jo.

Sony TV recently rebooted the Norman Lear classic One Day At A Time, which is heading into its third season on Netflix.

The possible reboot comes as TV revivals are becoming more popular in an already crowded television landscape. On broadcast TV there are two revivals to 1980s multi-camera comedies right now, Roseanne on ABC last season — which saw remarkable success in its first season only to be canceled following a racist tweet from Roseanne Barr — and Murphy Brown on CBS coming this fall.

Additionally, the popular 1980s hit ALF is reportedly developing a reboot of its own at Warner Bros. TV, also looking for a writer.

Appian Way has produced a number of movies, including The Wolf of Wall Street. Biel executive produces the USA Network anthology The Sinner, which became the top-rated new cable series of 2017 and earned her an Emmy nomination for her role.

The series premiered its second season on USA NEtwork Wednesday, featuring a new mystery and new cast, along with season one's Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman). Biel is not expected to make an appearance.

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