Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ Reveals Creature and Trailer Ahead of Release

After more than a decade of anticipation, Guillermo del Toro’s long-gestating adaptation of Frankenstein is finally preparing to reach audiences. The Oscar-winning filmmaker’s take on Mary Shelley’s Gothic classic will premiere in select cinemas on 17 October before streaming globally on Netflix from 7 November.

The project marks a return to familiar territory for del Toro, whose work has frequently celebrated monsters as tragic figures. Having won acclaim with The Shape of Water and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, the director has long described Shelley’s novel as his favourite book and a lifelong influence. Early images confirm Jacob Elordi in the role of the Creature, concealed beneath layers of cloth in a hooded cloak, while Oscar Isaac portrays the obsessive scientist Victor Frankenstein.

The cast also features Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen and Christian Convery, with Charles Dance and Christoph Waltz in supporting roles. Del Toro both wrote and directed the film, with producing credits shared by J. Miles Dale and Scott Stuber.

The trailer, released in late August, introduced the first glimpses of Victor Frankenstein addressing a lecture hall, alongside impressionistic flashes of his experiment and its aftermath. In a voiceover, Isaac’s character warns: “Some of what I will tell you is fact, some is not, but it is all true,” underscoring the film’s blend of period drama and dark fantasy.

Del Toro has previously discussed his attachment to Shelley’s creation, recalling in interviews that the Creature’s duality of love and rage profoundly shaped his approach to filmmaking. His adaptation promises to revisit the philosophical underpinnings of the 1818 novel while reimagining the familiar story for a modern audience.

Frankenstein has been adapted for the screen numerous times, from James Whale’s 1931 Universal classic to Kenneth Branagh’s 1994 version. Del Toro’s film distinguishes itself by pairing the director’s trademark visual style with a cast drawn from both genre cinema and international prestige projects.

With its October release, Frankenstein arrives in the run-up to Halloween, a fitting window for Shelley’s enduring tale of science, ambition and tragedy.

Frankenstein trailer