YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN Spin-off Series in the Works at FX

Frankenstein is getting even younger. According to Deadline, FX is nearing a pilot order for Very Young Frankenstein, a new series spinoff on the 1974 Mel Brooks film Young Frankenstein, which also inspired the Broadway musical of the same name. Brooks himself will return to the material as an executive producer, alongside Stefani Robinson, who has been tapped as the writer and showrunner.

Other confirmed names include Taika Waititi as the director of the pilot and producer Garrett Basch. All three previously worked on the FX series What We Do in the Shadows. Kevin Salter and Young Frankenstein's original producer, Michael Gruskoff, will also produce. Casting and plot details are tightly under wraps, but the title indicates that the project could be a prequel or see the main character at a younger age. The official description simply states: "Inspired by Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein."

This series is the latest in the line of Mel Brooks spinoffs in the 2020s, marking an unofficial Mel Brooks resurgence of sorts. Other titles include Hulu's History of the World, Part II, and the upcoming Spaceballs sequel, both of which involve Brooks creatively.

Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein starred Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, the grandson of Victor Frankenstein. A parody of the original Mary Shelley tale and the horror genre itself, the movie follows Frederick as he inherits a Transylvanian castle and laboratory from his grandfather, going on to create a "Monster" made from dead tissue. After some problematic side effects, Frederick attempts to prove that he can, in fact, control his new creation.

The stage adaptation, which originally opened on Broadway in 2007, directed by Susan Stroman, received a variety of views, running for 484 performances. Stroman returned for the later West End version to direct a revamped, restyled production, reuniting with Mel Brooks and the creative team behind their last hit, The Producers.

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan