Rob Zombie has shared a first look at Richard Brake’s character in his upcoming movie The Munsters. Universal’s reboot of the 1960s sitcom recently started production in Budapest, Hungary, with the director revealing enough to make it clear that he’s not reimagining the old show as much as he is lovingly recreating it. Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, and Daniel Roebuck look as close to the originals as possible in their roles as Lily, Herman, and Grandpa Munster, while the family’s residence 1313 Mockingbird Lane is 100% authentic.
And yet Zombie has to introduce some new elements into the mix, too, otherwise there wouldn’t be much point to making the movie. The Devil’s Rejects filmmaker took to Instagram today to share a first glimpse at Richard Brake in character as Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang, who Zombie labeled as “Transylvania’s most popular Mad Scientist” in his caption, before adding: “I wonder what he has in store for our new world of Gods and Munsters?”
Dr. Wolfgang is an original creation for the movie, as no character of that name appears in the classic comedy. That said, the franchise is no stranger to mad scientists in the Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll mold. Though Wolfgang is apparently a popular figure, it doesn’t seem like a stretch to imagine that he’ll be the villain of the piece. Like the three leads, Brake has worked with Zombie before, in both Halloween II and 3 From Hell. He’s also known for his roles in Batman Begins, Thor: The Dark World, and The Mandalorian.
Despite his appearances in various iconic universes before this, Brake cites being in The Munsters as the highlight of his career.
“I’ve hung out with Stormtroopers, killed Batman’s parents and popped into the Marvel Universe. But this! This is a childhood dream come true,” Brake shared in response to the release of the photo on Twitter. “The Munsters!!! So excited to be a part of it.”
The Munsters⏤which could be Rob Zombie’s first ever film not to have an R rating⏤is due to get a day-and-date release in theaters and on Peacock.