During the height of his filmmaking prowess, the legendary Mel Brooks parodied some of Hollywood’s biggest properties and genres. Westerns in Blazing Saddles, space operas in Spaceballs, Alfred Hitchcock movies with High Anxiety, etc. Of them all, Brooks never hit the perfect blend of reverent and irreverent as he did with 1974’s Young Frankenstein. It’s truer to the Universal Monsters than Universal’s own Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Hopefully, a new layer of reverent irreverence can come from FX’s straight-to-series order for Very Young Frankenstein.
The news, from Deadline, has us very optimistic. Very Young Frankenstein comes from the What We Do in the Shadows trio of Stefani Robinson, Taika Waititi, and Garrett Basch. Robinson wrote the pilot and Waititi directed. Even more exciting (or at least just AS exciting) is the cast. The show will star Zach Galifianakis along with costars Dolly Wells, Spencer House, Nikki Crawford, Kumail Nanjiani, and Brooks veteran Cary Elwes (Robin Hood: Men in Tights).
“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, 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.”
Robinson, Waititi, Brooks, and Basch executive produce alongside Michael Gruskoff and Kevin Salter.
After the six seasons of What We Do in the Shadows, we have more than a little faith in this team to adapt another beloved horror-themed comedy. This in addition to a long-awaited Spaceballs sequel certainly makes it a good time to a be a Mel Brooks fanatic. When isn’t it?
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.
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