Very Young Frankenstein Pilot Ordered at FX with Star-Studded Cast
FX has officially given the green light to Very Young Frankenstein, ordering a pilot for the upcoming comedy series inspired by Mel Brooks’ legendary 1974 film Young Frankenstein. Along with the announcement, new cast members were confirmed, including Zach Galifianakis, Dolly Wells, Spencer House, Nikki Crawford, and Kumail Nanjiani.
As reported previously, Cary Elwes is already attached to star in the pilot. While details about character roles and the official plot remain under wraps, the series is confirmed to be rooted in the world of Brooks’ original black-and-white parody classic.
Brooks himself will serve as executive producer, teaming up with an impressive creative team: Stefani Robinson, the award-winning writer and showrunner of FX’s What We Do in the Shadows; Taika Waititi, who will direct the pilot; and producer Garrett Basch, also from What We Do in the Shadows. With such talent involved, Very Young Frankenstein promises to carry both the wit and irreverence of the original while potentially reinventing it for a new generation.
Released on December 15, 1974, Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein became a cultural phenomenon, spoofing Universal’s classic monster movies with razor-sharp humor. The film starred Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, a reluctant heir to his infamous grandfather’s estate in Transylvania. Upon settling in, the younger Frankenstein cannot resist the lure of forbidden science and begins to recreate his grandfather’s experiments, resulting in hilarity, chaos, and some of the most memorable one-liners in comedy history.
The cast of the original remains iconic to this day: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, and Madeline Kahn all delivered performances that blended slapstick absurdity with sincere homage to the Universal horror films of the 1930s and 40s. Directed by Brooks and co-written with Wilder, the movie struck a perfect balance of parody and tribute.
Commercially, the film was a smash hit, grossing $86.2 million against a budget of just $2.78 million. It earned an enduring reputation as one of the greatest comedies ever made and cemented Mel Brooks’ position as one of Hollywood’s most influential satirists. Its impact is still felt today, influencing generations of filmmakers and comedians.
With FX taking on Very Young Frankenstein, anticipation is already high. The collaboration between Brooks and the What We Do in the Shadows team suggests the new series will embrace both classic comedy roots and a fresh, modern sensibility. And with a cast featuring comic heavyweights like Zach Galifianakis and Kumail Nanjiani, fans can expect plenty of absurd humor alongside the gothic charm of the Frankenstein mythos.
Part of what makes Very Young Frankenstein so intriguing is the fusion of old and new comic sensibilities. Young Frankenstein was always more than just a parody — it was a meticulous love letter to the horror classics of Universal’s golden age, even shot in black-and-white to match the look of James Whale’s Frankenstein films. Its comedy came not from mocking the genre but from Mel Brooks fully embracing it with exaggerated sincerity. Bringing in Taika Waititi as pilot director is a fascinating choice, as his own brand of humor thrives on a similar mix of respect and irreverence. From What We Do in the Shadows to Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi has shown a knack for balancing heartfelt storytelling with absurd comedy. His involvement suggests Very Young Frankenstein will honor the gothic atmosphere of the original while pushing the humor into even wilder, modern territory.
No release date has been announced yet, but the pilot order marks the beginning of what could become FX’s next big comedy hit. If the series manages to capture even a fraction of the brilliance of Brooks’ original, it may become an essential watch for both fans of horror-comedy and new audiences discovering Frankenstein’s legacy for the first time.
