Rob Zombie Reveals First Look At Lester The Werewolf In The Munsters
The casting announcements for Rob Zombie's cinematic reimagining of "The Munsters" just keep getting better and ... hairier. Zombie once again took to Instagram to give the first look at another branch of the Munsters monster family tree. Tomas Boykin, who previously worked with Zombie on his film "3 From Hell," has joined the cast to play Lester, Lily Munster's werewolf brother.
"Get ready for Lester," Zombie wrote in his Instagram caption. "He's gonna make you howl with laughter."
The character of Lester Dracula was originally played by Irwin Charone ("Deconstructing Harry," "Cactus Flower," "Get Smart") on the original TV run of "The Munsters." The character is known for being an entrepreneurial wolfman who makes really, really bad business decisions, but treats each new venture with the kind of confidence that would make you believe it's his first. He's also why little Eddie Munster is a werewolf and not a vampire or Frankenstein's monster like his parents. Gotta love those recessive genes!
Boykin is just the latest addition to an already ridiculously stacked cast of beloved horror icons and character actor greats, including Jeff Daniel Phillips ("Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," "Halloween II") as Herman Munster, Sheri Moon Zombie ("House of 1000 Corpses," "Lords of Salem") as Lily Munster, Daniel Roebuck ("The Fugitive," "Matlock") as Grandpa, Richard Brake ("31," "Bingo Hell") as Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang, Catherine Schell ("Space: 1999," "On Her Majesty's Secret Service") as Zoya Krupp the Gypsy Queen, Sylvester McCoy ("Doctor Who," "The Hobbit") as Igor, Jorge Garcia ("Lost," "Nobody Knows I'm Here") as Floop, Elvira herself Cassandra Peterson as Barbara Carr, and Dee Wallace as the voice of "Good Morning Transylvania," the country's second favorite morning show.
Our hearts are ready
It's been nearly six decades since "The Munsters" first arrived on television screens, but the love for the macabre family from 1313 Mockingbird Lane is still as strong as ever. Many were concerned that Rob Zombie's version of "The Munsters" would be in his typical style of horror films, with messy makeup, unwashed hair, and a whole lot of swears. Fortunately, we know that "The Munsters" will be rated PG, meaning Zombie is likely providing a faithful adaptation capturing the wholesome heart of his all-time favorite show, but adding updated sensibilities to appeal to modern audiences.
The original two seasons of "The Munsters" are currently available to stream on Peacock, which is possibly going to be the home of Zombie's take on "The Munsters" in addition to the film's theatrical release, but this could very well change closer to its anticipated release date later this year. If I were a betting woman and there were a line on this in Vegas, I'd put it all on an October release.