Young Frankenstein is considered by a good number of folks to be one of the funniest movies of all time, and now it’s getting remade as a live musical. But before you light your computer on fire in protest, you should know that this new version is being produced by none other than Mel Brooks himself.
The 93-year-old comedy legend is resurrecting one of his most beloved films for the small screen in the form of Young Frankenstein Live! on ABC. There was already a Broadway musical version of the film back in 2007 for which Brooks wrote all of the songs, and that production will serve as the basis for this new live TV version. ABC and other networks have had some success in recent years with live musical versions of popular movies, including Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, Grease, A Christmas Story, and a number of others, so it’s not all that surprising that a movie as popular as Young Frankenstein is getting the treatment now. What is a bit surprising is how different Young Frankenstein is compared to those previously mentioned films and others that have been turned into live TV musical productions.
For one, Young Frankenstein is more of an outright farce than other TV musicals we’ve seen, with the jokes coming fast and furious. Some of that humor is also more on the adult end of the spectrum, which certainly won’t appeal to the same audience as, say, The Little Mermaid. It’s also worth mentioning that Young Frankenstein is comparatively old (the film dates to 1974), and doesn’t boast the same kind of following as other films that have been adapted for the medium. In other words, it’s not a Disney movie, a holiday film, or a traditional musical (indeed, the musical version was not considered a great success and lasted less than two years on Broadway). Despite all that, however, we’re certainly glad to see Brooks working again in any capacity, and the fact that he’s returning to such a beloved property is just icing on the cake.
Young Frankenstein Live! has no release date as of yet, but we’re expecting it to hit ABC later this year.
