Rob Zombie revealed new concept art for the upcoming reboot of The Munsters, providing one of the first big glimpses at the project since the first teaser trailer was released in early June.
It was first reported that Rob Zombie was rebooting the classic 1960s Munsters sitcom in March 2021, with Rob Zombie confirming the project a few months later. On June 8, 2022, the first Munsters teaser trailer was released, and this week fans have been given a closer look at the film with a new piece of key art.
The new art shows the three most central characters from The Munsters sitcom: Lily (Sheri Moon Zombie: House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects), Herman (Jeff Daniel Phillips: Westworld, the caveman from the Geico commercials), and Grandpa (Daniel Roebuck: The Fugitive, Lost). The new art shows makeup and costumes that are remarkably reminiscent of the original series, with a gothic set design and green-tinted lighting that evoke old Hollywood horror films. The cast should set fans at ease as well. Phillips is a dead ringer for Fred Gwyne's original Herman, facial expressions and all. Two major omissions from this new art are the children of the original Munsters family, son Eddie and daughter Marilyn. The production team has not announced any actors for these roles yet.
Rebooting such a beloved and old property is a dangerous endeavor, particularly with a show that had such a specific look. The Munsters was a black and white 1960s sitcom that featured a gothic set design which gave it a feeling that, while certainly not a horror series, still evoked some of the feelings of the classic Universal horror films that the series drew inspiration from. Furthermore, the unique makeup and acting performances are one of the show’s most iconic aspects. Any Munsters reboot would have to nail all of these qualities or risk offending fans of the original series. Not only this, but the original series walked such a fine line between the serious and the absurd that not nailing the exact balance could result in something quite ridiculous (and not in a good way).
The new key art and the teaser trailer shown last month, however, indicate that somehow Rob Zombie has pulled it off. Rob Zombie himself is a life-long fan of the Munsters sitcom and has reportedly been working on this reboot for over twenty years, and it shows. His genuine love for the series appears to have led, miraculously, to an authentic reboot of The Munsters. After Universal's failed attempt at rebooting their old properties with movies like The Mummy (2017), ironically it will be The Munsters that stands alone as the crossover/multiverse reboot of old Universal horror monsters.
The Munsters is scheduled to release on Peacock sometime in 2022.
Source: ScreenRant