Tim Curry makes surprise big screen return, first feature film since 2012 stroke

Tim Curry is appearing on the big screen for the first time since suffering a stroke that left him wheelchair-bound more than a decade ago.

The 78-year-old “Rocky Horror Picture Show” star, who broke out as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the beloved musical, now appears in Michael Leavy’s horror film, “Stream,” in select theaters starting Wednesday, Variety reports.

The film — with a synopsis that seems like a crossover between “Squid Game” and “Saw” — follows a family who unwittingly books a weekend at a hotel where a group of masked killers are competing against one another to slaughter the guests. The homicidal game affords points for both the quantity and creativity of the murders.

“This has been a really hard secret to keep and contain our excitement, especially for this long,” said Leavy, who penned, directed and produced the film. “We are happy and thrilled to bring Tim back to the movies and back to the big screen!”

Leavy said he “idolized” the “Clue” star while he was growing up and counts the recent collaboration as “one of the major highlights of my life.”

Emmy-nominated Curry suffered a stroke in the summer of 2012, news of which didn’t become public knowledge until nearly a year later.

In May 2013, his agent told The Hollywood Reporter that Curry had been undergoing physical therapy and was “doing very well and still has his great sense of humor.”

A few years later, Curry appeared on the small screen as The Criminologist in Fox’s “Rocky Horror Picture Show” TV movie. In 2020, he reprised the role of Frank-N-Furter for a virtual livestream of the 1975 cult favorite, which served as a Democratic benefit for the presidential election.

Aside from those appearances, Curry’s career since his stroked has primarily focused on voice acting in animated projects.