Jerry O'Connell has landed the starring role in NBC's remake of "The Munsters."
"The Defenders" and "Piranha" star has been cast as Herman Munster, the Frankenstein's monster-like patriarch in the reboot of the cult 1960's television sitcom called "Mockingbird Lane." The title comes from the creepy clan's address: 1313 Mockingbird Lane.
While the show's name may have changed, the cast of characters so far remains the same. O'Connell joins previously cast Eddie Izzard (as the quick-witted vampire Grandpa) and Mason Cook (as werewolf son Eddie). The actress cast in the role of Herman's wife Lily has yet to be announced.
"The Munsters" centered around the fish-out-of-water-family of friendly monsters and ghouls who live amongst everyday Americans and starred Fred Gwynne as Herman and Yvonne De Carlo as Lily. The original series, produced by Universal Studios, aired 70 episodes from 1964 to 1966 on CBS.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Pushing Daisies" creator Bryan Fuller is reimagining the new series as a darker, edgier version of the campy original and will explore the origins of Herman, Lily and co. and how they came to live at the Mockingbird Lane address.
"We want this show to be an American 'Harry Potter,'" writer-producer Fuller told E.W. "To have that sense of a magical world that you get to go to with your family and find stories told in a fantastical way that are instantly relatable. It's an 'American Horror Story' the whole family can watch."
The show's pilot script has a subplot about Herman desperately needing a new heart and his quest to find a living donor. "When you come to "The Munsters" and have Herman - who's essentially a zombie in a constant state of decay — and he's married to a woman who doesn't age, there's something very poignant there," added Fuller. "These stories will surprise audiences."
