It’s alive, my friends. It’s finally alive. After over a decade of starts, stops, and setbacks, we can finally see Guillermo del Toro’s spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is taking its place -- and on the 2025 movie schedule. While teases for del Toro’s “emotional” retelling may scare some, it’s been music to my ears. But, now, after seeing the teaser, I think we’re going to see Ms. Shelley’s creation do something we don’t typically see it do: fight.
One of the many gifts given to fans amid tonight’s live upfront event known as Tudum, this is the first official batch footage for this creature feature starring Oscar Isaac as the damned scientist and Jacob Elordi as his forsaken creation. Co-starring Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and a ton of other notables, this is a film that del Toro has been “actively pursuing" for "25 years.” And oh, baby is it worth it.
Even if you know all of the ins and outs of Frankenstein, The Creature typically is portrayed as a lumbering beast that hulks over humans with its power. But that last shot of Frankenstein’s Monster taking a pitchfork like a champ and pulling his potential assassin forward for a beat down is impressive.
Not to mention, Jacob Elordi's supposed affront to the natural order pretty much clears the deck of crew members who stand in his way. Which still has me wondering how Andrew Garfield's original casting would have shaken out, though I'm also all in on the Euphoria vet's portrayal. But we're not veering too far from tradition here, as there's only one thing on his mind: "VICTOR!" Damn, this is chilling and heartbreaking at the same time; with a side of nerd warmth from the world of reality.
To understand my excitement beyond this footage, I have to give you a small history lesson. You see, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein has been discussed for quite a while. In fact, one of our own archival reports from 2012 had “Frankenstein back on track at Universal.”
Much like At the Mountains of Madness, that project never materialized at that studio home; marking a period of time where we’d see connected pitches come and go. (Anyone else remember the Dark Universe pitch for Bride of Frankenstein?) But, now, the monster and his creator will return to haunt us all in this brand new tale. And Frankenstein's creation is going to show us his existential rage in a way we're not accustomed to - which only further intrigues me.
As you heard before, Guillermo del Toro has been wanting to make this movie for almost three decades. So he's had time to study up, and determine how and why that scene of physical prowess fit into this morbid and emotional mix. Frankenstein will descend upon us this November, only on Netflix. Pray he doesn't find you! Or do, it's your choice really.
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