Kumail Nanjiani Had a Blast Filming the Very Young Frankenstein Pilot

FX is kicking the tires on a new comedy riffing on Mel Brooks' beloved classic. The pilot for 'Very Young Frankenstein' is in the can, and Kumail Nanjiani says making it was a blast. The catch: FX still has to decide if this thing goes to series.

What 'Very Young Frankenstein' is (and where it stands)

FX ordered the pilot a couple of months ago. It is a series take on the Brooks staple, and yes, it has Mel's blessing. Nanjiani told Deadline on December 9, 2025 that the shoot was a good time, but they have not been picked up beyond the pilot yet.

Who is involved

• Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Kumail Nanjiani, Dolly Wells, Spencer House, Nikki Crawford, and Cary Elwes as the President of the United States.
• Creative team: Mel Brooks executive produces with Stefani Robinson (writer and showrunner), Taika Waititi (directed the pilot), and Garrett Basch. Brooks' producing partner Kevin Salter is also an EP, as is Michael Gruskoff, who produced the original 'Young Frankenstein'.
• Pedigree: The series comes from folks behind FX's 'What We Do in the Shadows', which is a pretty ideal vibe-match for horror-comedy with actual jokes.

Quick refresher on the original 'Young Frankenstein'

Mel Brooks directed from a script he co-wrote with Gene Wilder. Wilder plays Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, who insists it is pronounced 'Fronk-en-steen'. He inherits a castle in Transylvania, gets pulled into his ancestor Victor's mad science, and decides to reanimate a corpse with Igor (sorry: 'Eye-gore'). The cast is stacked: Wilder as the doctor, Peter Boyle as the Monster, Marty Feldman as Igor, Teri Garr as Inga, and Cloris Leachman as Frau Blucher, with a scene-stealing cameo by Gene Hackman as a blind hermit.

Even though it was released by 20th Century Fox, the movie lovingly mirrors the old Universal Frankenstein films down to the tone and look. It is both a tribute and a comedy that actually understands the thing it is parodying.

What Kumail said

"I think we are still waiting to hear if it is going to series... It was a really fun shoot."

He also mentioned he has been friends with Zach Galifianakis and Taika Waititi for ages. He once opened for Galifianakis on the road, and his only previous collaboration with Waititi was a commercial. This was the first real time working with both. He loves the original movie and is into the team making this one.

My read

Trying to bottle the exact lightning of 'Young Frankenstein' is a tall order. But Brooks is involved, the 'Shadows' crew knows how to play with genre without killing the joke, and Taika directed the pilot. If FX goes forward, there is real potential here. For now, we wait to see if the network pulls the switch and yells 'Alive!'