Netflix’s Frankenstein Adaptation To Land In Cinemas This October

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Here's everything we know so far about the highly-anticipated remake

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Netflix's Frankenstein Adaptation To Land In Cinemas This October

Ever since a young Mary Shelley penned her unorthodox horror story as a 19th century teenager, creatives have been captivated by Frankenstein. The story has been adapted variously into plays, films, television dramas and even operas, while the central monster himself is a recognisible conceit recurring across video games, derivative stories and every Halloween party you’ll ever attend.

The latest Shelley zealot is Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. As early as 2010, he was making his intentions to adapt the book into his own film clear. When he bagged the BAFTA for Best Director in 2018 for his gothic fantasy The Shape of Water, del Toro took the opportunity to thank Shelley for the inspiration he had mined from her work across his life and career so far. ‘The most important figure from English legacy is, incredibly, for me, a teenager by the name of Mary Shelley,’ he said. ‘She has remained a figure as important in my life as if she were family. So many times when I want to give up, when I think about giving up, when people tell me that dreaming of the movies and the stories I dream are impossible, I think of her.’

Shelley was particularly pertinent in that Academy Award winning film, which centres on a lonely janitor who stumbles across (and develops a relationship with) an amphibious creature held captive in a secret research facility. For his next piece, it’s straight to the source. Starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein with Jacob Elordi as his infamous monster, here’s everything we know so far about del Toro’s Frankenstein, slated to land in cinemas in October and on Netflix in November.

Netflix’s Frankenstein: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

Jacob Elordi as The Creature and Oscar Isaac as Dr. Victor Frankenstein on the set of Frankenstein

The Background

Mary Shelley published her transcendent gothic novel in 1818, aged only 20 – though she started writing it aged 18. It began as a writing game in 1816: Mary had been travelling through Europe with her lover and future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley. In Geneva, the couple, along with companions John Polidori and Lord Byron, decided to compete to see who could write the best horror story. Mary, inspired by their recent travels through Germany (including to Frankenstein Castle, where alchemist Johann Konrad Dippel had conducted ambitious experiments a century earlier) and the group’s occult-ish conversations, set to work on a story about a scientist who created life and was horrified by the result, which would eventually be published as Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.

It’s her best-known work by far, and has been adapted into countless films, plays, radio plays and even games. Frankenstein’s monster, meanwhile, is a pop culture mainstay – both in adaptations and as a standalone character disentangled from the story. But these adaptations often cloud the novel’s events and structure. Often told through letters and usually from the perspective of Victor Frankenstein’s creature, this novel is less of a horror than you might think. We see the creature observe humans, learn to read and embrace his humanity – before the cruelty of humans sets him on a path towards revenge.

‘This has been, for me, the culmination of a journey that has occupied most of my life,’ del Toro told the crowd during a live Netflix event. ‘I first read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as a kid and saw [star of the 1931 adaptation] Boris Karloff in, what became for me, an almost religious state. Monsters have become my personal belief system.’

With everything from The Shape of Water (2018) to Pinocchio (2022) under his belt, del Toro added: ‘Exploring the relationship between humanity and monsters, creator and creation, father and son has consumed my stories again and again. I wanted to make this film before even I had a camera, and I’ve been actively pursuing it now for 25 years.’

With Netflix describing Elordi’s character as ‘the creature’ (rather than ‘monster’), we’re hoping a faithful adaptation of Shelley’s immortal novel is en route.

Oscar Issac as Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein

What Will Happen?

It seems del Toro’s Frankenstein will stay true to Shelley’s novel, telling the tale of Victor Frankenstein (Isaac), a brilliant but egotistical scientist pushing the boundaries of experimentation. But when he brings a monstrous creature to life, it spells the downfall both for the creator and his tragic creation.

That’s at least for the first half of the film. Rumours have also swirled suggesting there will be a renewed focus on Dr Pretorious, a character who first appeared in the Frankenstein story in Bride of Frankenstein (1935). These whispers suggest Pretorius will have a larger part to play in del Toro’s story, setting out to capture Frankenstein’s monster 40 years after he reportedly died in a fire.

Watch the trailer below for a taste of the action.

Del Toro teased this himself: ‘What I’m trying to do is take the myth and do something with it, but combine elements of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein without making it just a classical myth of the monster,’ he said way back in 2008, before the remake was canned. In 2023, the project was finally revived by Netflix – but it remains to be seen whether the Pretorius focus will come with it.

Felix Kammerer as William Frankenstein and Mia Goth as Elizabeth in Frankenstein

The Cast

Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac are the Frankenstein headliners, starring as the creature and his creator respectively, which Isaac calls ‘the experience of a lifetime’.

‘The passion, the love, and dedication we’ve all put into this movie is reflected in every frame,’ he says. ‘This film stands on the shoulders of every creature feature, but it is a dark and sumptuous emotional drama – a character piece sprung from the pages of Mary Shelley’s classic novel.’

Elordi adds: ‘Guillermo is a real-life genius, and I am immensely grateful to be in the film and really proud of the work that we all put into it.’

They will be joined by Mia Goth as Victor’s fiancée Elizabeth Lavenza; the horror star says she ‘couldn’t wait to dive in’ to del Toro’s adaptation, adding: ‘I love material like this, and it all started with the book.’

Joining them will be Christopher Waltz, Charles Dance, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley and Christian Convery.

Jacob Elordi as The Creature in Frankenstein

The cast and their characters is as follows:

Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein
Jacob Elordi as The Creature
Mia Goth as Elizabeth Lavenza, Victor’s fiancée
Christoph Waltz as Dr Pretorious
Felix Kammerer as William Frankenstein
Lars Mikkelsen as Captain Anderson
David Bradley as a blind man
Charles Dance as Leopold Frankenstein
Ralph Ineson as Professor Kempre
Christian Convery as Young Victor

Elordi replaces We Live In Time star Andrew Garfield, who had to pull out due to scheduling issues.

Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein in “Frankenstein” directed by Guillermo del Toro. (Ken Woroner/Netflix)

Where Was It Filmed?

Netflix’s Frankenstein was filmed in Toronto, Canada and Edinburgh in Scotland. The Frankenstein crew was reportedly spotted shooting on Edinburgh’s iconic Royal Mile.

Charles Dance as Leopold Frankenstein and Christian Convery as Young Victor in Frankenstein

Release Date

Frankenstein will land in select cinemas from 17 October 2025, perfect for a spooky Halloween outing.

The film will then arrive on Netflix on 7 November.

Netflix’s Frankenstein Adaptation To Land In Cinemas This October