Recasting Young Frankenstein If It Was Made Today

With absurdist plotting and authentic black-and-white visuals, Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein is both a spot-on parody of Universal Monsters classics and one of the greatest comedies ever made. The original movie starred such ‘70s comedy stars as Gene Wilder, who co-wrote the script with Brooks, and Marty Feldman.

If Brooks’ horror spoof didn’t get made until today, then it might star current comics like John Mulaney, Taika Waititi, and Will Ferrell. Brooks-style parody movies don’t really get made anymore, but plenty of contemporary actors would be a good fit for that sensibility.

8 John Mulaney As Dr. Frederick Frankenstein

Gene Wilder wrote the script for Young Frankenstein with director Mel Brooks as a starring vehicle for himself. The central premise of the movie is that Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, a distant descendant of Victor’s, is struggling to escape his family history and be taken seriously in the scientific community.

With neurosis in spades, Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced “Fronk-en-steen”) is the ultimate Gene Wilder role. John Mulaney brilliantly plays Wilder-style insecurity in adolescent form as a voice actor in Netflix’s Big Mouth.

7 Taika Waititi As Igor

The role of Igor needs a scene-stealing performer. The part was originally played by Marty Feldman, who stole every scene he was in by secretly moving his hump around between takes and perfectly landing one-liners like, “Walk THIS way.”

The hilarious Taika Waititi is capable of real pathos when he’s a lead, like in his second directorial effort Boy, but he lets loose when he’s a comic supporting player, like in Thor: Ragnarok or Free Guy. The genius of Feldman’s performance is how he harnesses his zany, off-the-wall sense of humor. Quirky gems like Eagle vs Shark, Jojo Rabbit, and What We Do in the Shadows have shown that Waititi shares this sensibility.

6 Rose Byrne As Elizabeth

Originally played by Madeline Kahn, Elizabeth is Frederick’s fiancée. When he heads to Transylvania, he ends up falling for another woman, which complicates things when Elizabeth pays him a visit.

Elizabeth is characterized as a wealthy socialite with an enviable economic standing. Rose Byrne has shown off her comedic talents in Spy, Instant Family, and the Neighbors series, and played a snobbish socialite to hysterical effect opposite Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids.

5 Daniel Brühl As Inspector Kemp

Inspector Kemp is a small role in Young Frankenstein. He’s the police officer who leads a mob against the monster in the finale. Played by Kenneth Mars in the ‘70s, Kemp is most notable for his thick German accent.

Daniel Brühl is one of the most prolific and acclaimed German-speaking actors to have crossed over into Hollywood, having starred in such movies as Rush, Inglourious Basterds, and a couple of Marvel projects. Earlier this year, Brühl showed off his comedic chops when he reprised his role as Baron Zemo in the MCU’s buddy cop series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

4 Amy Poehler As Frau Blücher

Played by Cloris Leachman, Frau Blücher is the eccentric housekeeper at the Transylvanian castle who empathizes so much with the monster that she ends up letting it out of captivity.

Amy Poehler, a co-founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade and one of the most memorable cast members in SNL’s history, is a master of comedic overacting. She could’ve done wonders with this role if the movie was made today.

3 Samuel L. Jackson As The Blind Hermit

Gene Hackman cameos in one of Young Frankenstein’s funniest scenes as a blind hermit who takes in the monster. As friendly as he is to the monster, he ends up driving it away with a string of accidental injuries. What makes this scene work so well is a dramatic actor playing against type with a farcical comedic role. At the time, Hackman was renowned for hard-hitting New Hollywood classics like The French Connection and The Conversation.

Today, this role could be played by Samuel L. Jackson, who’s adept at both comedy and drama. In the role of mob hitman Jules Winnfield in his breakout movie Pulp Fiction, Jackson was both dramatically captivating and responsible for a ton of big laughs.

2 Emma Stone As Inga

Originally played by Teri Garr, Inga is Frederick’s warm, likable lab assistant. As a more relatable counterpart to the mad scientist, Inga is the opposite of Igor. Whereas Igor is an oddball, Inga is an everywoman.

Today, the role could be played by Emma Stone, one of the quintessential everywoman actors. She’s an Oscar-winning dramatic actor now, but she got her start in comedy. Stone showed off her enviable comedic chops in Superbad, Zombieland, Easy A, The Favourite – the list goes on.

1 Will Ferrell As The Monster

Frankenstein’s monster is a challenging role in any Mary Shelley-based movie project, but it’s especially difficult to play the part comedically. The monster can’t speak, so the performance rests entirely on body language and slapstick. Everybody Loves Raymond’s Peter Boyle played the part spectacularly in Brooks’ original.

Today, the role could be played by Will Ferrell, one of the tallest leading men in Hollywood. Ferrell is a gifted physical comedian, as seen in the streaking scene in Old School, the news team battle in Anchorman, and the knife-in-the-leg sequence in Talladega Nights.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3483 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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