Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein comes alive in November 2025.

The 82nd Venice International Film Festival is in full throttle, where Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein premiered. Fittingly on author Mary Shelley of the 1818 novel of the same name’s birthday (30 August). Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation continues to charm the crowd, as it received a 15-minute standing ovation. However, this was not Del Toro’s first rodeo. The director has charmed the crowd before with his 2017 film “The Shape of Water”, which won four Oscars.

Taken from a statement from TUDUM, “I’ve lived with Mary Shelley’s creation all my life,” del Toro tells Tudum. “For me, it’s the Bible. But I wanted to make it my own, to sing it back in a different key with a different emotion.”

In case you didn’t know, this film was decades in the making. 30 years in the making, this tale inspired del Toro to pursue the career he has now. It all started with James Whale’s adaptation of Frankenstein. “At that early age, I felt that this is soothing for me to see the creature and his innocence. He was an outsider. He didn’t fit into the world. He was out of place in the same way that I felt as a kid.”

What is Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein about?

Starring Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the “creature”, the film takes us through the mind of brilliant but ego-driven scientist Frankenstein. With a quest to bring new life into this world, the scientist goes on to prove the existence of The Creature. However, this is unlike any other tale of a creature feature. The film will continue to delve into the scientist’s relationship with his father (Charles Dance) and how he repeats the cycle – only this time to “his son.”

Who stars in the film?

Apart from Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Christian Convery, Charles Dance and Christoph Waltz.

What does the creature look like in Guillermo del Toro’s eyes?

Through the lens of del Toro, the creature was something he had envisioned since the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Unlike many other adaptations of Frankenstein, the director wanted to make Elordi resemble a jigsaw puzzle – beautiful yet resembling a newborn.

Who was initially supposed to play “the creature”?

Andrew Garfield. However, due to scheduling conflicts, Garfield withdrew from playing the role. With only nine weeks to recast and transform Jacob Elordi into the creature, it was like a match made in heaven. Makeup artist Mike Hill told Variety that having Elordi onboard worked out because the actor was “everything rolled into one.”

How long did it take to shoot this film?

The movie took approximately 120 days to complete, with a production cost of around $120 million.

When will the movie be out?

“Frankenstein” will be available on Netflix on November 7, following a limited theatrical release.