James Wan Developing 1313, a ‘Darker’ Version of THE MUNSTERS

The Munsters are coming back once again. Just a year and change after Rob Zombie’s The Munsters movie, Universal is taking another crack at their iconic property. According to Deadline, horror master James Wan is producing a new series via his Atomic Monster production company. They describe it as “a darker take” on the classic show, which showcased lovable sitcom versions of the Universal Monsters. The title of this latest reboot is 1313, as in the Munsters’ home address, 1313 Mockingbird Lane. Whereas the Rob Zombie version of The Munsters was a movie, this is looking to go the television series route.

This is actually not the first time Universal has produced a darker, edgier take on The Munsters for television. And the last one basically had the same naming convention too, centered on their home address. Over a decade ago, Bryan Fuller developed a series called Mockingbird Lane. It starred Jerry O’Connell as Herman Munster, Portia de Rossi as Lily, and Eddie Izzard as Grandpa. Controversial X-Men director Bryan Singer shot a rather expensive pilot. This The Munsters concept never went to a full series, but the episode aired as a Halloween special back in 2012. A new, more traditional The Munsters sitcom was announced in 2017, yet it never came to be either.

The original black-and-white sitcom ran for two seasons, from 1964-1966, on CBS. This was for the exact same amount of seasons, and during the very same years, as The Munster‘s rival show on ABC, The Addams Family. Both shows lived on for decades in reruns. However, The Addams Family came back to life for several successful theatrical movies and animated projects. Now, it currently has a very successful spin-off on Netflix with Wednesday. No doubt the success of that show made Universal reconsider The Munsters as something they could modernize. Maybe this time it will click at last.