Jerry O'Connell to Revive Herman Munster in Reboot

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Jerry O'Connell to Revive Herman Munster in Reboot

Jerry O'Connell is set to play the scary but lovable Herman Munster in NBC's reboot of the 1960s sitcom The Munsters.

Joining O'Connell on the new series -- called Mockingbird Lane -- will also be Eddie Izzard in the role of grandpa, the vampire role originally played by Al Lewis, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Herman Munster was portrayed by Fred Gwynne in the original Universal Studios-produced series, which ran from 1964-1966 on CBS. 

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Mason Cook will play Herman's werewolf son Eddie in the pilot, which will be executive produced and directed by Bryan Singer (House M.D.), THR reports.

Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller, who is heading up NBC's reboot effort, said the challenge will be transforming the classic sitcom about a family of monsters into a successful modern dramedy. "If we continued to call the show The Munsters, people are just going to think we're doing The Munsters. We're doing a reinvention and re-imagination of this property." 

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O'Connell most recently starred in the CBS legal drama The Defenders, which was canceled after one season.