Dust off your top hats and practice your tap dancing, because the ultimate comedy necromancy is officially happening. After teasing us with a pilot order last year, FX has officially given a full series order to “Very Young Frankenstein,” Variety reports.
The project is a brand-new television expansion inspired by the legendary 1974 Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder cinematic masterpiece. While exact plot details are currently locked away in a secret laboratory, the creative pedigree alone is enough to make any comedy fan start hyperventilating.
The Creative Monster Mash: From Staten Island to Transylvania
If you want to recreate the lightning-in-a-bottle energy of the original film, you hire the people who spent the last few years making vampires the funniest entities on Television. The series is spearheaded by a powerhouse trio of “What We Do in the Shadows” alums. Stefani Robinson is serving as writer and executive producer. Taika Waititi: Who lent his signature visual chaos to direct the pilot and will executive produce. Then there’s Garrett Basch on board to executive produce.
But wait, it gets better. The comedy gods have truly smiled upon us: Mel Brooks himself is on board as an executive producer alongside his partner Kevin Salter and Michael Gruskoff—who, in a beautiful full-circle moment, produced the original 1974 movie. 20th Television is handling the studio production.
A Cast Worth Digging Up Graves For
The pilot has already assembled an absolutely unhinged ensemble of comedic heavyweights and brilliant character actors. That includes Zach Galifianakis, Dolly Wells, Spencer House, and Kumail Nanjiani. They are joined by Cary Elwes, who is reuniting with the Mel Brooks universe for the first time since Robin Hood: Men in Tights!.
The Legacy: Walking in Great Shoes
For the uninitiated, the original 1974 Young Frankenstein is widely considered one of the funniest American movies ever made. It starred Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (insistently pronounced “Fronk-en-steen”), the grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein. Upon inheriting the family’s Transylvanian estate, Frederick quickly abandons his scientific skepticism and restarts his grandfather’s hobbies of grave-robbing and reanimating the dead.
FX is promising to capture that exact blend of classic cinematic love and modern irreverence.
“Very Young Frankenstein blends inspiration from the fan-favorite movie with the inventive, irreverent spirit that has defined FX comedies over the years, making this a completely original take on the classic story,” said Nick Grad, President of FX Entertainment. “In the hands of FX veterans Stefani, Taika and Garrett, alongside the iconic Mel Brooks, we know that fans will have as much fun watching this series as we’re having making it.”
Clear some space on your watchlists—”Very Young Frankenstein” is going to be a monstrously good time. And if you want to relive the charm of Young Frankenstein, you can find it on YouTube TV or snag a copy on physical media, which we recommend because you’re going to want to watch it again, and again. In fact, watch the trailer below.
