After decades of desire, Guillermo del Toro is finally getting to make his Frankenstein movie, with Netflix putting up the dough to make it happen. Now, we’ve got some new details on the adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel as the filmmaker has revealed that Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds, No Time to Die) has joined the already stacked ensemble cast. What’s more, he’s also revealed that filming is set to begin early next year.
The folks at Collider recently spoke with del Toro during a 10th anniversary screening of his 2013 kaiju vs robots movie Pacific Rim. They managed to get a little update from the director on the project, which first came to light earlier this year after rumors had been circulating for some time. Here’s what del Toro had to say about it:
"I'm doing Frankenstein. We're working on it. We start shooting in February, and it's a movie I have been wanting to do for 50 years since I saw the first Frankenstein. I had an epiphany, and it’s basically a movie that required a lot of growth and a lot of tools that I couldn't have done 10 years ago. Now I'm brave or crazy enough or something, and we're gonna tackle it. It’s Oscar Isaac, Andrew Garfield, Christoph Waltz, Mia Goth, and we’re working on it."
That is one heck of a cast, though most of those names surfaced when initial reports made their way out into the world back in March. The addition of Waltz makes this all the more tantalizing. No word yet on who the actor is going to play, but it’s pretty damn easy to picture him playing Victor Frankenstein. Waltz previously worked with del Toro on his animated version of Pinocchio, which debuted on Netflix last year and went on to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
We’ve had more than a few versions of this tale told on screen over the years dating back to James Whale’s 1931 classic. But del Toro, the director of films such as The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth, is an unquestioned modern master. The notion of seeing another adaptation of this familiar tale becomes instantly more intriguing having someone like him at the helm. When you factor in the stacked, A-list cast and the fact that Netflix is probably going to give him the financial resources he truly needs, this figures to be an event for fans of the genre.
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein does not currently have a release date but stay tuned as we’ll keep you posted as further details come to light.
