Rob Zombie’s The Munsters Star Weighs in on Taking Over as Grandpa

Fans have known that filmmaker Rob Zombie was developing a revival of The Munsters for months, with all of his teases of the project failing to confirm who would be bringing the iconic characters to life, up until he confirmed his casting choices late last month. Zombie himself took to social media to confirm that Jeff Daniel Phillips will be playing Herman Munster, Sheri Moon Zombie will be playing Lily Munster, and Daniel Roebuck would be playing “The Count,” also known as Grandpa Munster. Roebuck recently detailed what the experience has been like on the project and shared his enthusiasm for all the casting decisions made for the revival.

“Everything fell the way it should have, and Jeff is perfectly cast and he will be so entertaining in the part of Herman. Sheri is so delightful as well. I actually auditioned years ago for the part of Herman in one of the TV movies that didn’t turn out so well,” Roebuck shared with Horror Geek Life. “It just wasn’t meant to be. I’m glad I didn’t land the role of Herman, and I’m not trying to talk down about that particular project but it’s not what Rob’s film will be. 

He added, “After it sank in (that he had been cast as The Count), I had the epiphany that I’d been preparing for this role my whole life. I’m in this movie because it’s God’s will, it’s where he wants me to be. I created a character when I was 12 years old and I named him ‘The Count.’ Rob told me the character in the script was named The Count. It’s a funny vampire named The Count and when I was 12, I was a funny vampire named The Count.”

Ever since his debut film House of 1000 Corpses, Zombie has proven himself as a filmmaker who’s not afraid to deliver audiences brutal and unrelenting experiences, which might make some people question his instincts when it comes to a horror-themed comedy, only for Roebuck to profess why he felt Zombie was the perfect choice for the project. 

“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,” the actor confessed. “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. I know Sheri, and nobody works harder than Sheri Zombie. I’ve written a part for her in a movie I wrote and directed, as well as another film I co-wrote and co-directed, so that’s what I think of her talent. I think she’s terrific and I absolutely love working with her.”

He continued, “I really hope audiences walk away feeling entertained and laughing. That’s all we really hope for making any movie, well, unless it’s a drama. If all goes well and people really like, maybe we’ll get the chance to do it again. I just hope people realize that they’ll have a whole new version of The Munsters that can live and co-exist side-by-side with the original version of The Munsters. No one wants to replace it, we all love it so much. We just want to shine a spotlight on it with our approach which I think is the best way to look at it.”

Stay tuned for details on Rob Zombie’s The Munsters.

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