Frankenstein (2025 film)
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Prepare yourself for a cinematic event unlike any other. From the visionary mind of Guillermo del Toro comes Frankenstein, a 2025 American gothic science fiction masterpiece, inspired by Mary Shelley's timeless novel. Starring the incredible talents of Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Lauren Collins, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz, this is a tale reborn. Witness its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 30th, 2025, followed by a limited theatrical release on October 17th, and then, the entire world will experience it on Netflix, November 7th, 2025.
At its heart, a brilliant, yet tragically egotistical scientist embarks on a monstrous experiment, bringing a creature to life. But this act of creation will ultimately lead to the undoing of both the creator and his profound, tragic creation.
The cast is legendary: Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Christian Convery as young Victor, Jacob Elordi as the Creature, Mia Goth as Elizabeth Lavenza, Felix Kammerer as William Frankenstein, Lars Mikkelsen as Captain Anderson, Christoph Waltz as Henrich Harlander, Charles Dance as Leopold Frankenstein, Lauren Collins as Claire Frankenstein, and David Bradley as the Blind Man.
Guillermo del Toro has long dreamed of this film, envisioning a faithful, "Miltonian tragedy" that goes beyond the classical myth. He aims to capture the profound emptiness and the raw, "obscenely alive" essence of the creature, drawing inspiration from Bernie Wrightson's iconic illustrations and the foundational films of James Whale. This isn't just an adaptation; it's an adventure story that delves into the very core of creation and consequence.
Filmed with a deeply emotional vision, del Toro states this will not be a horror movie, but a story that resonates with the soul. Alexandre Desplat's lyrical score promises to be as moving and profound as the film itself.
Frankenstein is a religion for del Toro, a story he's carried since childhood, waiting for the perfect conditions to bring it to life on an epic scale. And now, that moment has arrived.
Experience Frankenstein in select theaters October 17th, 2025, and then, immerse yourself in its world on Netflix, November 7th, 2025. This is a story that will haunt you, move you, and stay with you long after the credits roll.
Frankenstein is a 2025 American gothic science fiction film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel of the same name. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Lauren Collins, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz.
Frankenstein had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 30, 2025. It will be followed by a limited theatrical release on October 17, 2025 and a global release by Netflix on November 7, 2025.
== Premise ==
A brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.
== Cast ==
Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein
Christian Convery as young Victor
Jacob Elordi as the Creature
Mia Goth as Elizabeth Lavenza, William's fiancée whom Victor has feelings for
Felix Kammerer as William Frankenstein, Victor's younger brother
Lars Mikkelsen as Captain Anderson
Christoph Waltz as Henrich Harlander, Elizabeth's maternal uncle and a wealthy arms manufacturer who funds Victor's experiments
Charles Dance as Leopold Frankenstein, Victor's strict, oppressive father and a renowned physician
Lauren Collins as Claire Frankenstein, Victor's late mother who died in childbirth
David Bradley as Blind Man
Sofia Galasso as Little Girl
Ralph Ineson as Professor Krempe
Burn Gorman as Fritz
== Production ==
=== Development ===
In 2007, Guillermo del Toro said that a project which he "would kill to make" would be a faithful "Miltonian tragedy" version of Frankenstein, citing Frank Darabont's "pretty much perfect" script, which evolved into Kenneth Branagh's film Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In January 2008, he revealed that he was then in the process of crafting drawings which he hoped to use as a basis for the world of the film, and that, additionally, he had begun taking script notes but stopped once the WGA strike had occurred. The following month, del Toro said of his vision:
What I'm trying to do is take the myth and do something with it, but combining elements of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein without making it just a classical myth of the monster. The best moments in my mind of Frankenstein, of the novel, are yet to be filmed [...] The only guy that has ever nailed for me the emptiness, not the tragic, not the Miltonian dimension of the monster, but the emptiness is Christopher Lee in the Hammer films, where he really looks like something obscenely alive. Boris Karloff has the tragedy element nailed down but there are so many versions, including that great screenplay by Frank Darabont that was ultimately not really filmed.
Later that year, in September, the film was set up through del Toro's three-year first-look picture deal at Universal Pictures, alongside a slate of films he was announced to direct including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Slaughterhouse-Five and Drood. Del Toro cited Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein illustrations as inspiration, and said the film would not be a direct adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel, but rather "an adventure story that involves the creature." Del Toro wanted Wrightson to design his version of the creature.
In 2009, del Toro stated that production on Frankenstein was not likely to begin for at least four years. Despite this, he had already cast frequent collaborator Doug Jones in the role of Frankenstein's monster and begun initiating makeup tests with the actor. Jones later commented that the project was shelved due to Universal's future plans for their Dark Universe franchise. At Comic-Con 2010, del Toro told Collider
that the story was his "favorite novel in the world". In 2013, del Toro expressed public interest in casting Benedict Cumberbatch for the role of the monster. In 2014, del Toro said that he would like to do versions of both Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, and that Universal chairperson Donna Langley had approached him several times about getting it going but that he was reluctant to do so because it is his "dream project".
In 2016, del Toro said of his efforts to make the film:
Frankenstein to me is the pinnacle of everything, and part of me wants to do a version of it, part of me has for more than 25 years chickened out of making it. I dream I can make the greatest Frankenstein ever, but then if you make it, you've made it. Whether it's great or not, it's done. You cannot dream about it anymore. That's the tragedy of a filmmaker. [...] You landed a 10 or you landed a 6.5 but you were at the Olympics already, and you were judged.
In 2020, in an interview promoting the film Antlers, del Toro stated that if he had the funding, he would make an adaptation of Frankenstein that would span two to three films due to the book's complexity and changing points of view.
In 2023, the project was revived by Netflix, with whom del Toro had signed a multi-year deal to produce projects. Following the win of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio at the 95th Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, Variety revealed that he was set to write and direct the feature with Andrew Garfield, Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth in early talks for potential roles. In September, del Toro revealed that filming was scheduled to commence in February 2024, and that Christoph Waltz had been added to the cast. In January, Jacob Elordi replaced Garfield for the role of the monster, due to scheduling conflicts that had resulted from the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Del Toro had spent nine months designing the look of Garfield's monster but they were scrapped when he departed, leaving only nine weeks for him to redesign the look for the taller Elordi. Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Christian Convery, and Charles Dance joined the cast in undisclosed roles. Dance also portrayed the father of Frankenstein in the 2015 movie Victor Frankenstein. In April 2024, del Toro announced Ralph Ineson had been cast in the film in a "pivotal" cameo appearance.
=== Filming ===
Principal photography began on February 12, 2024, in Toronto, and concluded on September 30. Additional filming took place at the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire, in September 2024. Del Toro stated that the movie will not be a horror movie, but an incredibly emotional story. Alexandre Desplat, who scored the film, said: "Guillermo's cinema is very lyrical, and my music is rather lyrical too. So I think the music of Frankenstein will be something very lyrical and emotional. I'm not trying to write horrific music."
=== Influences ===
Del Toro said of his inspiration for making the movie: "It was a religion for me. Since I was a kid — I was raised very Catholic — I never quite understood the saints. And then when I saw Boris Karloff on the screen, I understood what a saint or a messiah looked like. So I've been following the creature since I was a kid, and I always waited for the movie to be done in the right conditions, both creatively in terms of achieving the scope that it needed for me to make it different, to make it at a scale that you could reconstruct the whole world." Del Toro acknowledged James Whale's 1931 film of the same title as a formative influence and his version draws also from its sequel, 1935's Bride of Frankenstein. During a Netflix event in Los Angeles, the first footage from the film was scored to Polish composer Wojciech Kilar's score for Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).
== Release ==
For its North American premiere, Frankenstein made it to the 'Special Presentations' programme of the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was screened on September 8, 2025. It was also presented in the Gala Presentation at the 30th Busan International Film Festival on September 18, 2025.
It is scheduled to be released in select theaters on October 17, 2025 before releasing on Netflix on November 7, 2025.
== Reception ==
=== Critical response ===
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 82 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Finding the humanity in one of cinema's most iconic monsters, Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein is a lavish epic that gets its most invigorating volts from Jacob Elordi's standout performance."
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
=== Accolades ===
== References ==
== External links ==
Frankenstein on Netflix
Frankenstein at IMDb
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