Tim Curry will return to 'Rocky Horror Show' for Halloween live stream event

Tim Curry is set to return to the public eye for the first time in years for a Rocky Horror Picture Show reunion being staged virtually this Halloween.

The 74-year-old star will appear alongside fellow cast members Barry Bostwick and Nell Campbell as part of a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Democrats.

Read more: Rocky Horror cast reunite for anniversary

Various other celebrities are set to take part in the event, including David Arquette, Seth Green, Glee star Jenna Ushkowitz and Fall Out Boy.

Curry stepped away from the public eye in 2012 after a stroke and his work has been largely limited to voice performances ever since.

It is not known what form his role in the reunion will take, but he’s an iconic part of Rocky Horror history, having played the flamboyant Dr Frank-N-Furter in the 1975 movie adaptation of the show.

The film was panned on initial release, but gained prominence on the “midnight movie” circuit and soon became an audience participation hit.

Read more: Curry picks up lifetime achievement award

It has been in a continuous limited release ever since 1975 and thus qualifies as the longest-running cinema movie of all time.

Curry made a rare appearance in 2016 in the role of the Criminologist in TV special The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again, which saw trans star Laverne Cox play Frank-N-Furter.

Curry is best known for his Frank-N-Furter performance, but he also terrified an entire generation as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 1990 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It.

His most memorable voice turns include as Nigel Thornberry in 90s animated series The Wild Thornberrys and, more recently, Palpatine in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Read more: Curry jokes about It finale

Interestingly, given his Star Wars connections, Curry found himself bested by Luke Skywalker when actor Mark Hamill took over his gig as The Joker on Batman: The Animated Series.

Curry, appropriately enough, was apparently rejected for being too scary.

Watch: Trailer for the 2017 version of It