A little over three months after we told you about development on a Very Young Frankenstein series, FX has given it a pilot order and announced its cast. Newly announced cast members include Zach Galifianakis, Dolly Wells, Spencer House, Nikki Crawford, and Kumail Nanjiani.
Cary Elwes is also now confirmed to star in the pilot, as we reported earlier this month. Character details are under wraps, as is the plot of the series, other than it drawing inspiration from Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks’ classic film for 20th.
Brooks will exec produce alongside three key creatives from FX’s What We Do in the Shadows: Stefani Robinson, who also serves as writer and showrunner; Taika Waititi, who will direct the pilot; and Garrett Basch. Other EPs include Kevin Salter — Brooks’ producing partner on projects like History of the World, Part 2 and the forthcoming Spaceballs sequel — and Young Frankenstein producer Michael Gruskoff. 20th Television is the studio. The show will stream on Hulu, should it be picked up.
Directed by Brooks, who co-wrote the script with Gene Wilder, Young Frankenstein is a loving parody of Universal monster movies of the ’30s and ’40s that stars Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, who is embarrassed by his family’s macabre legacy and hopes to distance himself from it. Others in the cast of the iconic black-and-white comedy included Peter Boyle as the Monster, Marty Feldman as Igor, Cloris Leachman as Frau Blücher, Madeline Kahn as Frederick’s fiancée and Teri Garr as Inga, to name a few. Brooks played multiple roles — voicing Victor Frankenstein, for starters.
Of course, Young Frankenstein is one of several recent or current projects based on classic Brooks IP. Hulu two years ago put out a sketch series follow-up to his 1981 film History of the World, Part 1. Meanwhile, his 1987 pic Spaceballs, sending up space operas like Star Wars, currently has a sequel on the way.
Coming off a role in the fourth season of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Galifianakis is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.
The co-creator and star of HBO series Doll & Em, alongside Emily Mortimer, Wells has recently been seen in And Just Like That…, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Babygirl and more. She is repped by UTA in the U.S., Independent Talent Group in the UK, and manager Heather Nunn.
House stars in the Hulu series Tell Me Lies and is part of the cast of Kathryn Bigelow’s forthcoming Netflix pic A House of Dynamite. He is repped by Gersh.
Seen on myriad series, including Tracker, Elsbeth and Cruel Intentions most recently, Crawford is repped by Artists & Representatives and The Zachary Co.
