Jerry O’Connell Cast As Herman Munster In New NBC Show ‘Mockingbird Lane’

Herman Munster is heading back to television and he’ll be played by Jerry O’Connell.

NBC announced today that O’Connell, who recently starred in the short lived show The Defenders, has been cast as Herman Munster in the new show, Mockingbird Lane.

The original Herman Munster was made famous by Fred Gwynne in the 1960s comedy. Herman is the Frankenstein-inspired patriarch of a family that includes vampires, werewolves, and one “normal” child. Eddie Izzard will star as Grandpa Munster and Mason Cook as Eddie, the werewolf son.

Bryan Fuller, who created Pushing Daisies, will be producing the show.

Fuller told Entertainment Weekly:

“We want this show to be an American Harry Potter… 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 that the whole family can watch.”

Fuller said that he’s particularly excited about Herman’s relationship to his wife Lily.

Fuller said:

“(Herman is) essentially a zombie in a constant state of decay — and he’s married to a woman who doesn’t age [Lily], there’s something very poignant there.”

Are you excited for the Munsters reboot? Do you think Jerry O’Connell will make a good Herman Munster?

Brian Fuller will certainly have his hands full this season. On top of creating the Munsters reboot he’s also bringing Hannibal Lecter to the small screen. Mads Mikkelsen, who played the Bond villain in Quantam of Solace, will be playing the title character in Hannibal.