Taika Waititi and Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein Reboot is Officially Coming to FX
The pilot for Very Young Frankenstein is by Stefani Robinson, the writer who brought the world Jackie Daytona.
If you stretch a little, Young Frankenstein is a kind of reboot. It goes back to its source material — here, James Whale’s Universal monster movies Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, themselves loosely adapted from Mary Shelley’s novel — and restarts the story fresh, with one key difference: Mel Brooks’ version of the genre-defining sci-fi/horror classic is packed full of silly wordplay and PG-rated sex humor. If we accept this premise, then Very Young Frankenstein is a rebooted reboot, a ridiculous framing that suits the comedic talent involved with the series.
Brooks has given his blessing to Very Young Frankenstein, a TV version of his beloved 1974 comedy that’s been in development for over a year and was just ordered to series at FX, according to an article in The Hollywood Reporter. FX, of course, was also the home of What We Do in the Shadows, and the two series share key talent: Series co-creator Taika Waititi has been tapped to direct the pilot for Very Young Frankenstein, which was written by another WWDITS player, Stefani Robinson. Robinson wrote (and was nominated for Emmys for) a number of classic episodes of the vampire comedy, including the season-two favorite “On the Run,” which introduced the world to a regular human bartender named Jackie Daytona.
Slapstick comedy at its finest.
Beyond that (very promising) behind-the-scenes lineup, Very Young Frankenstein has also cast Zach Galifianakis, Dolly Wells, and Spencer House in key roles. Just based on looks and general vibes, it seems most likely that Galifianakis will step into Gene Wilder’s Fraunk-un-shteen persona, with Wells — who’s alternated between dramatic and comedic roles throughout her career — taking on a role similar to that played by Teri Garr in the original film. And House? Well, he’s 6’4” and broad shouldered, so you figure it out.
Kumail Nanjiani, Nikki Crawford, and Cary Elwes were also in the pilot, which filmed last fall after getting a pilot order in September. Now, FX has given the green light for a full season of 2020s-does-1970s-does-1930s hijinx. It’ll be interesting to see how Waititi and Robinson’s style — which, at least on What We Do in the Shadows, is multi-layered and full of winking historical and cultural references — blends with Brooks’ slapstick one-liners. (To be fair, WWDITS had more than its share of silly bits as well.) Given the track records of all involved, however, it will most likely be hilarious.
Laszlo, king of the one-liner.
That’s about all we know for now, save for this statement from FX Entertainment president Nick Grad, who says: “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.”
