An American reboot of “The X Factor” is in development at Fox, TheWrap has learned.
The U.S. version of the singing competition series ran for three seasons on Fox beginning in 2011. The American series was responsible for the formation of Fifth Harmony, and the British series created One Direction and Little Mix.
The show will look similar to the old version with one twist: the contestants will live in a house together. It is unclear where the competition reality series would shoot and if they could be eligible for a California tax credit. Fremantle will produce the spinoff with Mischief & Wonder, founded by Sydney-based producers Emma Lamb and Leigh Aramberri.
Several singing competition series have left the state to cut production costs, including “American Idol” leaving Hollywood for Georgia. TheWrap reported this week that “The Voice” producers are eyeing a move out of Los Angeles even though they have a standalone set on the Universal Studios lot.
“The X Factor” concluded its third and final season in the U.S. in 2013 and concluded in the U.K. in 2018. There have since been two spinoffs of the show in the UK, “The X Factor: Celebrity” and “The X Factor: The Band.”
Simon Cowell co-created the original series and served as a judge in the U.S. and the U.K. The judges for the American series included Cowell, Britney Spears, Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger, Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland, L.A. Reid and Paulina Rubio. Steve Jones hosted the first season of the U.S. show with Mario Lopez and Khloe Kardashian taking over for Season 2.
Fox recently rebooted one of their most popular unscripted franchises “Fear Factor,” hosted by Johnny Knoxville. “Fear Factor: House of Fear” premiered in January, upping the stakes from the original series.
Deadline first reported the news.
