The first trailer for the upcoming film The Munsters, written and directed by Rob Zombie, was released earlier today, giving expectant fans their first look at the reboot of the classic 1960s sitcom of the same name. Rob Zombie, with a stellar track record when it comes to horror films, including 3 from Hell (2019) and 31 (2016) and the world’s most fitting name, has been teasing fans with the sitcom with news of the reboot film for some time now.
The Munsters sitcom first premiered on CBS in 1964 and depicted a family of harmless, everyday monsters who move from Translyvania to Mockingbird Heights, your average American suburb. The family includes Herman Munster, Frankenstein’s monster and the family patriarch, his vampiric wife Lily, Lily’s father, Count Dracula, aka Grandpa, the couple’s werewolf son Eddie, and their niece Marilyn Munster, who appears as the “ugly duckling” of the family. The sitcom, developed by the same producers behind Leave it to Beaver, was meant to be a satirical comedy, poking fun at both traditional monster movies and American suburbia sitcoms, which were popular at that time.
What the trailer tells us about the new Munsters
The first trailer for The Munsters reboot features heavy callbacks to the original sitcom, including a vintage Universal Pictures logo and the same theme music and font of the original show. Most of the trailer is shot in black-and-white, revealing Jeff Daniel Phillips (Westworld) as the new Herman Munster, Sheri Moon Zombie (The Lords of Salem) as Lily Munster, and Daniel Roebuck (The Man in the High Castle) as Grandpa; at the very end, the trailer transforms into color, with the three monsters sitting on the couch asking, “What now?”
According to comicbook.com, additional cast members of The Munsters reboot, though they aren’t featured in the trailer, will include Richard Brake (The Dare) as Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang, Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who) as Igor, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), and Dee Wallace (E.T.). Though Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, and Al Lewis, the original actors behind Herman, Lily, and Grandpa have all passed away, original cast members Butch Patrick and Pat Priest, who played Eddie and Marilyn in the original sitcom, will also be making an appearance.
The first trailer for The Munsters reboot is available below.
Further information on the film, including a release date or where it will eventually be released, is currently unknown.