It seems the thought of making his upcoming Frankenstein movie a horror pic has never crossed the mind of director Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim, The Shape of Water).
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival during a special panel alongside his frequent collaborator, Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat (The Boys in the Boat, Jurassic World Rebirth), del Toro addressed audience expectations for his latest project.
When questioned about the presence of scary scenes in his Frankenstein, del Toro revealed a surprising perspective. "Somebody asked me the other day, does it have really scary scenes?" he recounted. "For the first time, I considered that. It’s an emotional story for me. It’s as personal as anything. I’m asking a question about being a father, being a son… I’m not doing a horror movie — ever. I’m not trying to do that."
This declaration signals a significant departure from the genre typically associated with Mary Shelley's iconic creation.
Echoing del Toro's sentiment, Alexandre Desplat offered insights into the film's sonic landscape. "Guillermo’s cinema is very lyrical, and my music is rather lyrical too," Desplat explained. "So I think the music of ‘Frankenstein’ will be something very lyrical and emotional… I’m not trying to write horrific music."
Del Toro further elaborated on their collaborative approach, stating, "We’re finding the emotion. And what I can say is, for me, it’s an incredibly emotional movie."
The highly anticipated Frankenstein boasts a compelling cast, including Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Moon Knight) as Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi (Saltburn) as Frankenstein's monster, Mia Goth ( MaXXXine, Infinity Pool) as Elizabeth Lavenza, Victor's fiancée, Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, Inglourious Basterds) as Dr. Pretorious, Lars Mikkelsen (The Witcher, Ahsoka) as Captain Anderson, and Ralph Ineson (The Creator, The Fantastic Four: First Steps) as Professor Kempre.
Netflix is slated to release the film in November 2025 (it doesn't have an exact release date yet), promising a unique and potentially moving interpretation of a timeless story, one that consciously steers clear of traditional horror tropes under del Toro's distinctive direction.
The film will inevitably be compared to a forthcoming Frankenstein movie written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, which is set for release a few months later. This take on the classic monster will star Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, and Annette Bening
Frankenstein 2025 Synopsis: Set in Eastern Europe in the 19th Century, this is the story of Dr. Pretorious (Christoph Waltz), who needs to track down Frankenstein’s monster (Jacob Elordi) -believed to have died in a fire forty years before–in order to continue the experiments of Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac).