Lynda La Plante wants Dame Helen Mirren to star in a 'Prime Suspect' revival.
Helen Mirren
The 75-year-old actress appeared as detective Jane Tennison in the ITV drama for 15 years and now the show's creator is hoping the award-winning actress will reprise her role for one last case.
Speaking to Sebastian Shakespeare's column in the Daily Mail newspaper, Lynda said: "I'm working on it. I'd love it for the screen. I'd love to meet Helen and say, 'Come back now. One more time, Helen.'
"She's so hugely successful, and such a big movie star now. I keep in touch with her, but mostly on a 'congratulatory' basis."
'Prime Suspect' ran from 1991 to 2006 and followed DCI Tennison as she confronted sexism and cold cases within Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service.
And Lynda always knew she wanted Helen to star as her leading lady, despite ITV bosses showing the author a number of actresses who could have played the part.
She recalled: "It was quite a fight. They were very much bringing up names who were completely wrong for her. I kept saying no.
"'Then I was met with, 'Well, I don't know Helen's work. Has she done a lot of TV?' I said, 'No, she's a great theatre and film actress. And she's the right age to be a DCI.' "
Lynda previously brought the show back with a prequel series called 'Prime Suspect 1973', starring Stefanie Martini as a younger version of Tennison.
However, the series was axed after one season.
A source revealed at the time: "We're very happy with the performance of 'Prime Suspect 1973' but not everything is meant to run and run."
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