A Mel Brooks Classic Is Getting a “Very Young” Reimagining

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been having a bit of a moment lately, between Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning adaptation and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s irreverent reimagining in The Bride. And now, over fifty years after its premiere, one of the most beloved reinterpretations of the story is getting a TV spinoff.

On Monday, FX announced that it has officially given a series order to Very Young Frankenstein, a new TV pilot that had been in the works for a while. As the title suggests, the show is based on Mel Brooks’ beloved 1974 film Young Frankenstein, which reinvented Shelley’s mythos in an extremely kooky and clever way.

Very Young Frankenstein is developed by Stefani Robinson, Taika Waititi and Garrett Basch, all of whom worked together on FX’s beloved spinoff of What We Do in the Shadows. All three of them executive produce alongside Brooks. Waititi directed the pilot episode, which was written by Robinson.

What Is Very Young Frankenstein About?

The cast of the Very Young Frankenstein pilot includes Zach Galifianakis, Dolly Wells, Spencer House, Nikki Crawford, Kumail Nanjiani and Cary Elwes.

“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,” Nick Grad, President, FX Entertainment, said in a statement. “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.”

Exact plot details for Very Young Frankenstein, as well as the specifics of who the cast is playing, are currently unknown at this time. Young Frankenstein was originally released in 1974, starring Gene Wilder as Frederick Frankenstein, the grandson of the monster creator who is trying to distance himself from his family’s legacy. The film also co-stars Peter Boyle as Frankenstein’s Monster, as well as Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn, and Gene Hackman. In the decades since its release, the film has become a bonafide cult classic, and was even nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.

“I had a real problem,” Brooks previously told The Los Angeles Times in a 2014 interview. “I didn’t want it to be just funny or silly. I wanted Mary Shelley’s basic feelings captured and the … haunting beautiful quality that James Whale got with Boris Karloff. My movies are not about jokes. They are about behavior, and behavior can be very funny.”

“Young Frankenstein, by far the best movie I ever made,” Brooks argued at the time. “Not the funniest — Blazing Saddles was the funniest, and hot on its heels would be The Producers. But as a writer-director, it is by far my finest.”

Very Young Frankenstein is just one of several pilots picked up to series at FX, including Seven Sisters, a family drama that stars Elizabeth Olsen, Cristin Milioti and J. Smith-Cameron; Disinherited from Better Call Saul co-creator Peter Gould, starring Victoria Pedretti and Kiera Allen; and a Snowfall spinoff starring Gail Bean and Isaiah John.

(featured image: 20th Century Studios)

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