It seems that Rob Zombie is leaving no stone unturned with The Munsters, his upcoming feature film based on the original comedy series of the same name. We have already seen from the sneak peek photos alone just how many Easter eggs Zombie has been packing into the film, though that's hardly a surprise, given how much he loves the classic sitcom. He's even finding ways to include the more minor characters from the source material, including Herman's boss Mr. Gateman (Jeremy Wheeler) and Sheri's werewolf brother Lester Dracula (Tomas Boykin).
Zombie has now once again taken to Instagram to give fans another early sneak peek by posting a short video clip. Applied with a filter that makes the video resemble old home movie footage, the clip features the Uncle Gilbert, the Munsters' version of Gill-Man, aka the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The fishy family member can be seen waving to the camera Wonder Years-style alongside Lily Munster (Sheri Moon Zombie) and Herman (Jeff Daniel Phillips). Watch the clip below.
The Lords of Salem filmmaker says in the caption, "Look who dropped by The Munsters set today to say hello! None other than good old UNCLE GILBERT! Boy am I glad I had a camera and captured the moment. He hung around until lunch, ate some seaweed then headed back to the airport. That fish is always on the move."
Uncle Gilbert was a character featured in the original sitcom version of The Munsters, and he looked very similar to the new incarnation Zombie has introduced. The character is rather minor, only appearing in the episode "Love Comes to Mockingbird Heights." He is described as very wealthy, acquiring vast sums of cash through salvaging treasure lost at sea. Richard Hale played the original Uncle Gilbert, but it's unclear who's under the suit for the new movie reboot.
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Grandpa Munster actor Dan Roebuck greatly hyped what Rob Zombie has in store for The Munsters in a previous interview with Horror Geek Life. Roebuck praised the casting, particularly that of his fellow main cast members Jeff Daniel Phillips and Sheri Moon Zombie. He also said Zombie was the perfect person to reboot The Munsters for today.
Everything fell the way it should have, and Jeff (Daniel Phillips) is perfectly cast and he will be so entertaining in the part of Herman. Sheri (Moon Zombie) is so delightful as well," Roebuck said. "The simple fact is, there’s not a better person in Hollywood, or anywhere else on the planet, who should be making The Munsters movie other than Rob Zombie. It’s gone through the hands of so many other people and I know Rob wasn’t just looking for something to attach his coattails to. He’s a huge fan of it and being a life-long fan approaching this material it really is as good as it gets."
The Munsters is rated PG. While initially rumored to have a day-and-date release in theaters and on Peacock, there have been recent reports that the film may be sold to Netflix where it will exclusively premiere. In any case, the movie is expected to arrive sometime in 2022.