Jerry O'Connell Set to Play Herman on New Version of 'The Munsters'

Jerry O'Connell is the newest performer to sign on to appear in the pilot for the new take of The Munsters that is being primed for NBC. The actor is a well known on the TV landscape, having starred in series such as Sliders, Las Vegas, Crossing Jordan, and The Defenders.

Originally, The Munsters aired on CBS from 1964 to 1966 and starred Fred Gwynne as Herman with Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily. Lily's father, simply referred to as Grandpa, was played by Al Lewis with Butch Patrick along for the ride as Herman and Lily's son, Eddie. The non-monstrous role was the couple's oldest daughter, Marilyn, portrayed in the show by Beverly Owen for the first 13 shows and then by Pat Priest for the rest of the run.

So far, the rest of the cast includes Eddie Izzard as Grandpa and Mason Cook as Eddie. Cook has appeared as young Jimmy on Raising Hope and as Corey on The Middle. Most recently, Izzard was seen as Dr. Hattarras on United States of Tara and he voiced the character of Sir Miles Axlerod in Cars 2.

Executive producers Bryan Singer and Bryan Fuller have been working with NBC to get this new version of The Munsters on the air for over a year. The project was, in fact, pushed back at least once. Reportedly, the new version will be darker and have much more of an edge to it than the original comedy series had. Also, rather than being a strict remake, the program will focus on how the Munsters became residents at the famed 313 Mockingbird Lane address.