The Munsters were a big part of an entire generation’s childhood and could now become a defining presence for an entirely new audience (we choose to ignore the 2022 Munsters movie).
James Wan and his company Atomic Monster are developing a reboot of The Munsters described as a “dark reimagining” for Universal Content Productions (NBCUniversal’s television production company). Although Wan has previously directed major genre hits like Saw, Malignant, and The Conjuring he’s leaving the showrunner position to Pet Sematary: Bloodlines’ Lindsey Anderson Beer. Romanian Malignant co-writer Ingrid Bisu is also part of the developing team.
The original Munsters were a Transylvanian-American family, so Bisu’s Romanian sensitivity could come in handy in updating the characters in a way that feels truthful to their culture beyond Transylvania’s identity as the home of Dracula. Equally, her involvement could also just be a coincidence stemming from her recent collaborations with Wan.
What is the title of The Munsters reboot?
The upcoming Munsters reboot is getting a complete makeover. Not only is it changing from a family-friendly sitcom to a “dark” horror show, but it’s also changing its title from The Munsters to 1313 (after the family’s address on 1313 Mockingbird Lane in the fictional suburban city of Mockingbird Heights).
NBC had previously attempted to revive the popular 1960s sitcom as a horror comedy in 2012 with the television special Mockingbird Lane, but it was never sent to series. In 2017, Jill Kargman and Seth Meyers gave it a go again by turning the Munsters into a Brooklyn family struggling to fit in with the neighborhood’s hipster invasion, but it never left the development stage.
What is 1313 about?
Per Deadline, the new show will “play on the Universal Monstervese,” which includes the inspirations for the original show’s characters, Frankenstein’s monster and Count Dracula.
Wolf-Man, the gill-man from the Creature from the Black Lagoon films, the phantom from Phantom of the Opera, and characters based on Mr. Hyde from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Bride of Frankenstein were also later featured on the show and its various spin-offs.
Is there a release window for 1313?
Not yet. The show is only now being developed. There was no casting news at the time of writing either.
1313 could be seen as NBCUniversal’s answer to Netflix’s runaway success with the Addams Family‘s 2022 show Wednesday that effectively launched Jenna Ortega’s career into the stratosphere. The resemblances between the Munsters and the Addams might generate confusion, but these two shows existing at the same time could be a nice little nostalgic throwback to the 60s (the original Addams Family sitcom began airing on ABC on the same year as the original The Munsters series).