Rob Zombie’s reboot movie of The Munsters is confirmed to feature the returns of many iconic characters from the original series. While Zombie is better known for his R-rated, gory horror movies, the director revealed that his The Munsters movie will be rated PG, thus keeping the same family-friendly horror-comedy style of the 1960s sitcom. As Zombie brings audiences back to the gothic 1313 Mockingbird Lane mansion, the Munster family will also be joined by some familiar human and monster characters from previous TV shows and movie installments in the franchise.
Zombie’s film revival of the classic sitcom is also unique in terms of how open the director has been with the production process; from set updates to casting announcements, Rob Zombie has let viewers in on every step of the way for The Munsters reboot. Zombie’s promotional materials have primarily focused on the returns of Herman, Lily, and Grandpa, but there are a few notable characters who haven’t been confirmed for the upcoming Universal movie. Herman and Lily’s werewolf son Eddie and Lily’s human niece Marilyn Munster have yet to be confirmed by Rob Zombie, but it seems inevitable that the iconic characters will return sooner or later.
However, Rob Zombie has confirmed that The Munsters’ cast will include Marilyn’s second actress Pat Priest in an undisclosed role, with Eddie actor Butch Patrick also affirmed to be involved. Alongside the original stars, Zombie’s The Munsters movie also introduces plenty of new Transylvanian characters, including Herman's best friend Floop (Jorge Garcia), the intriguing Zoya Krupp (Cathrine Schell), and Mockingbird Heights' top real estate agent Barbara Carr (Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson). Here’s a breakdown of every character from The Munsters confirmed to return for Rob Zombie’s reboot movie.
Herman Munster
Originally played by Fred Gwynne, The Munsters’ Herman Munster will unsurprisingly be returning for Rob Zombie’s movie. The Frankenstein’s monster character will be portrayed by Jeff Daniel Phillips, a frequent Rob Zombie collaborator known for Halloween II and The Lords of Salem. While Zombie hasn’t confirmed too many details of Herman’s character during The Munsters movie, it appears he’ll still be working for the Gateman, Goodbury, and Grates Funeral Parlor in Mockingbird Heights.
Lily Munster
The wife of Herman and daughter of Grandpa, Lily Munster, is returning for Zombie’s The Munsters movie as the family matriarch. Originally played by Yvonne de Carlo, The Munsters reboot’s Lily will be portrayed by Sheri Moon Zombie, the director’s wife, who has starred in a number of his films. Zombie’s version of The Munsters’ vampire character already appears to be a great homage to the original, with the behind-the-scenes teasers also revealing her to have much of the same wardrobe as her 1960s counterpart.
Grandpa
Lily’s eccentric vampire father will return for The Munsters movie as played by Daniel Roebuck, following the original character’s portrayal by Al Lewis. The Munsters movie’s Grandpa will still be making potions and spells in the mansion’s laboratory, this time with the help of the Munsters’ servant Igor. With the Count Dracula character back for Zombie’s reboot, it seems The Munsters will feature a plethora of references to his centuries-old past in Transylvania.
Igor
The Munsters’ original series featured Grandpa’s pet bat named Igor as a familiar figure, but Zombie’s iteration of the character is quite different. The Munsters movie’s Igor is the family’s loyal servant, who seems to be taking after the Cousin Igor character from 1981’s The Munsters’ Revenge. This version of Igor depicted him as the caretaker of Dracula’s Castle for Grandpa, so Rob Zombie’s Igor may be a combination of the two original Munsters characters. After being portrayed by Howard Morris in The Munsters’ Revenge, Igor will be played by Doctor Who’s Sylvester McCoy in the upcoming Munsters reboot.
Mr. Gateman
One of the most notable recurring characters in The Munsters’ original sitcom was Mr. Gateman, Herman’s ominous boss at Mockingbird Heights’ local funeral parlor. Rob Zombie has confirmed that the character will return for The Munsters reboot movie alongside his business partners, Mr. Goodbury and Mr. Graves. The Munsters’ original Mr. Gateman was played by legendary horror actor John Carradine, with actor Jeremy Wheeler taking over the role for Zombie’s version.
Zombo
While the character only appeared in one episode of The Munsters’ 1960s series, Zombo certainly made a lasting impression. In The Munsters’ season 2 episode “Zombo,” Eddie reveals that he won a contest to meet his idol, Zombo, a horror TV host. The episode then saw Herman jealous that Eddie was more interested in the eccentric Zombo than himself, a subplot that could easily be translated into Rob Zombie’s PG-rated movie adaptation. Zombie hasn’t confirmed who will be playing Zombo, but it appears that Herman Munster’s actor Jeff Daniel Phillips will also be stepping into the role.
Lester Dracula
Another deep-cut character from the original series that will return for Rob Zombie’s The Munsters movie is Lester Dracula. The werewolf brother of Lily Munster and son of Grandpa only received a one-episode stint on The Munsters' TV show but was often mentioned by the other characters regarding his unsuccessful entrepreneurial career. The financially irresponsible Uncle Lester will be played by Tomas Boykin, who previously appeared in Zombie’s 2019 horror movie 3 from Hell.
Uncle Gilbert
Rob Zombie’s The Munsters movie seems to be bringing back many of the idiosyncratic Transilvanian family members of Lily and Herman, as the reboot will also see the return of Uncle Gilbert. Styled after the Gill-man from Creature From the Black Lagoon, Uncle Gilbert appeared in one episode of The Munsters when he gave Herman $180,000 worth of gold and Spanish doubloons to keep in one of the local Mockingbird Heights banks. Rob Zombie gave a sneak peek of Uncle Gilbert on the set of The Munsters movie opposite Lily and Herman Munster in May 2022, where it appears that he'll come to visit the family near a dock.