Picture: Netflix
Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited adaptation of Frankenstein is shaping up to be one of Netflix’s most significant movie releases of 2025. Slated to premiere on Netflix in November with a rollout at festivals and theaters, the gothic retelling promises to be a profoundly emotional and visually stunning take on Mary Shelley’s classic 1818 horror novel.
The project has been in del Toro’s heart for decades. The director, known for his distinctive blend of dark fantasy and horror in works like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water, has described Frankenstein as a “Miltonian tragedy” and a story he’s wanted to tell for 50 years.
“I had an epiphany when I first saw Frankenstein. It’s a movie that required growth and tools I didn’t have 10 or 20 years ago. Now I’m brave—or crazy—enough to tackle it.”
Before we dive into the full preview, here’s the first look teaser that was first released during TUDUM 2025.
A Faithful but Unique Adaptation
While there have been countless Frankenstein adaptations across film, TV, comics, and games, del Toro is promising something special, a faithful yet emotionally layered version of Shelley’s story.
The film stays rooted in the 19th-century setting, exploring Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with the decay of life and his morally ambiguous experiments that lead to the creation of a reanimated creature. This version also introduces Dr. Pretorius, who must track down Frankenstein’s monster—believed to have died decades earlier—to continue the late doctor’s work.
Del Toro emphasizes the human fragility and tragedy at the heart of the story. The gothic production design reflects his trademark style, with laboratory sets described as “the remnants of once-great structures, ruins more beautiful than the original buildings, a clash of creation and destruction.”
The Star-Studded Cast
Pictures: Getty Images
When we first unveiled the project, we stated that Oscar Isaac was eyed for one of the primary roles of the project. Isaac has been a titan of Hollywood in the last decade, appearing in titles like Dune and Star Wars.
A follow-up Deadline article stated that Andrew Garfield (tick, tick… Boom!, The Amazing Spider-Man) and Mia Goth (Pearl, X) were in talks to star. Although Goth is still attached to the project, Garfield would later depart, with Jacob Elordi (The Kissing Booth, Euphoria) taking his place and playing the role of The Monster.
In October 2023, at the aforementioned Pacific Rim 10th Anniversary IMAX 3D Event, Guillermo del Toro confirmed all three castings and revealed that Christoph Waltz would star. Waltz recently starred in GDT’s Pinocchio, voicing Count Volpe. He’ll play Dr. Pretorius in this adaptation.
Further cast members for the movie now include:
- Charles Dance (Game of Thrones)
- David Bradley (Harry Potter, After Life) as Blind Man
- Lars Mikkelsen (Headhunter) as Captain Anderson
- Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth)
- Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front) as William
- Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes) as Chief Officer Larsen
- Joachim Fjelstrup (Itsi Bitsi) as Dr. Udsen
- Lauren Collins (Degrassi: The Next Generation)
- Ralph Ineson (The Witch, The Office) is playing a “pivotal cameo“
Some of the minor actors to feature include:
- Sofia Galasso
- Duff MacDonald
In November 2024, Vanity Fair revealed the first still from the film, showing Victor Frankenstein in his decaying lab surrounded by human remains—a hauntingly beautiful tease of what’s to come.
Where is Frankenstein in production?
Our intel suggested that the movie was originally due to get underway with filming in the Summer of 2023. Sadly, that could not get going because of the SAG-AFTRA strike in July 2023.
Over that summer, we’d been scratching our heads with a consistently mentioned project called Prodigal Father. Thankfully, we connected that to this new Frankenstein. Whether it’s the full title or just a working title is unclear.
According to the DGC, “art and accounting” prep on the movie is due to begin in October 2023, again under the working title of Prodigal Father.
Picture: Guillermo del Toro
Recent updates on production sites like Ontario Creates currently list Prodigal Father to begin filming on February 21st, 2024, with it then scheduled to wrap on June 13th, 2024.
According to the DGC, production was pushed back by a couple of weeks and instead began on March 3rd, 2024. Filming is still listed to conclude by June 13th, 2024. The movie is set to be filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and will be partly filmed in London, England.
Post-production (both picture and sound) will continue again, according to DGC, through March 2025.
Throughout February 2024, in pre-production, Guillermo posted numerous times while in Canada, scouting for filming locations for the new movie.
The boat you can see in that final picture is set to play a major role in the movie. On May 1st, Mayor Olivia Chow held a press conference outside the set of the movie, lauding the upcoming movie.
Twitter user Andrew Thomas caught some great snaps of filming on the upcoming movie in April 2024:
@andrewbent / X
On June 24th, 2024, Guillermo del Toro (sporting an Ultraman: Rising T-shirt) provided an update on filming, saying:
“LAST week of shoot in Toronto- the London and Scotland until October.”
What to Expect from Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein
At TUDUM 2025, Guillermo del Toro took the stage with Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth and shared a heartfelt reflection, saying, “This is the culmination of a journey that has occupied most of my life. I first read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as a kid, and saw Boris Karloff in what became for me an almost religious state. Monsters have become my personal belief system. There are strands of Frankenstein throughout my films, Cronos, Blade, Hellboy, Pinocchio, and I’ve been actively pursuing this for 25 years. It has grown so close to me that now it’s my biography.”
He explained the film is “a dark and sumptuous emotional drama, a character piece sprung from the pages of Mary Shelley’s classic novel”, focusing on the relationship between creator and creation, and father and son.
Oscar Isaac added, “Playing Victor Frankenstein for this master of cinema has been the experience of a lifetime. The passion, love, and dedication we’ve all put into this movie is reflected in every frame.”
Fans of gothic horror can anticipate:
- A visually striking, gothic reimagining in line with del Toro’s signature style
- A character-driven story exploring the tragic consequences of creation
- A faithful but emotionally richer adaptation of Shelley’s original novel
- A haunting score, practical effects, and stunning production design that evoke the beauty of decay
The film has already drawn stylistic comparisons to Bloodborne and Van Helsing, with fans praising the dark, ruinous aesthetic glimpsed in early images.
When Is The Release Date for Frankenstein? Will it be released in theaters?
Frankenstein will hit the festival circuit and have a theatrical run before its streaming debut. Del Toro confirmed on BlueSky that the movie will hit the big screen, though Netflix hasn’t detailed how wide the release will be. It may mirror previous limited theatrical releases like Pinocchio or The Killer, which aimed for awards eligibility.
The first premiere for Frankenstein has been confirmed to be at the Venice Film Festival, where it’ll make its world premiere. That’s ahead of the Toronto International Film Festival, where it’ll hold its North American Premiere.
The movie will hit select theaters on October 17th (some international territories from October 24th) for a three-week run around the world before hitting Netflix globally on November 7th, 2025. The movie has a runtime of 2 hours and 29 minutes and is rated R for bloody violence and grisly images.
You can set a reminder on Netflix to be notified when it’s released.
Picture: Netflix
Picture: Netflix
Picture: Netflix
Picture: Netflix
Picture: Netflix
What’s Next for Guillermo del Toro on Netflix?
Frankenstein isn’t del Toro’s only upcoming project with the streamer. He’s also working on The Buried Giant, another stop-motion film, and developing a vampire-themed project titled Vampire Tapestry. Fans are also still waiting for news on whether Cabinet of Curiosities will return for a second season. There’s also a new movie called Boy in the Iron Box, based on an Audible series in which he collaborated with Chuck Hogan.
Are you excited to see Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on Netflix? Will you catch it in theatres first?
