After months of teases and maybes and what-ifs, Netflix has given the defining word on the status of Guillermo Del Toro's long-awaited Frankenstein adaptation – It's alive!
However, its road to re-animation hasn't gone without its snags, the most recent being a cast changeover of epic scale. After numerous reports that Oscar Isaac and Andrew Garfield would be starring as Frankenstein and his monster respectively, it's now been announced that Garfield is out, and Jacob Elordi – a man of literal monster proportions – is in.
The monster maker has frequently talked in the past about wanting to adapt Mary Shelley's famous monster-making novel. It was originally conceived as a mini-series back in 2018 before going dark, but now it's finally getting pieced back together thanks to Del Toro's contract with Netflix which has already seen him make an animated Pinocchio film and the series Cabinet of Curiosities.
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Here's everything we know about Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein so far.
Who will star in Frankenstein?
When word started spreading about Del Toro's Frankenstein getting off the ground again, two names were thrown into the ring: Andrew Garfield and Oscar Isaac. Originally going viral after unsubstantiated claims that the pair had inked the deal to star in it, Deadline later revealed that sources close to the production confirmed their involvement.
Well, it seems like those rumours were true, but the revelation comes at a cost: Andrew Garfield.
It's been confirmed that man of the hour Jacob Elordi will star as Frankenstein's monster, replacing Garfield who had to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflicts as a result of the SAG AFTRA strikes. It's thought that he's had to leave the project to film Voyagers, in which he'll play the astronomer Carl Sagan and reunite with his Under the Banner of Heaven co-star Daisy Edgar Jones. We win, but we also lose. At least we can be confident this time around that no one will be drinking Elordi's bath water. At least we hope. That would be a twist on the old classic that we would not see coming.
Once the news was confirmed, Netflix officially announced the film along with the rest of the cast. Oscar Isaac will still be playing Victor Frankenstein, while Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz will also co-star. Elsewhere in the cast will be Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley and Christian Convery.
What will Frankenstein be about?
Del Toro has shown interest in Shelley's classic novel for years now, originally wanting to make it a longer-form series. At the time, it was thought that he'd stay true to the story, which splits the narrative between a young scientist who makes a humanoid creation and the monster recounting his first experiences as a living creature. A story about loneliness, the plot centres around Frankenstein's love interest, Elizabeth Lavenza, and his obsession with his creation and the monster's violent pleas for a companion.
Whether or not this new iteration of the story will stick true to the plot points and time period of Shelley's original work remains to be seen. Del Toro often sets classic horror tales in unlikely time periods, for example, The Shape of Water's love story happening against the backdrop of The Cold War, so Frankenstein taken out of time could be explored in an interesting way.
When will Frankenstein be out?
With the ink only just drying on its casting and announcement, we'll sadly probably have to wait a while to see it come to life. Likely, we won't see it until 2025. However, all monster obsessions come to those who wait – just ask Victor Frankenstein.
