Guillermo del Toro has announced Christopher Waltz has joined the star-studded cast of his upcoming Frankenstein adaptation. In a recent interview with Collider, the director also confirmed that filming will start in February, with an enthusiastic "we're doing it."
Waltz, known for his extreme and unconventional roles in Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained, will share the screen with Pearl's Mia Goth, The Amazing Spiderman himself Andrew Garfield, and Dune's Oscar Isaac. Although it is unclear what role each actor will play in the story, it has been rumored that Garfield will play Frankenstein. Del Toro is yet to confirm.
Based on the original 19th-century horror novel by Mary Shelley, and influenced by the 1931 film adaptation, Del Toro's Frankenstein reimagining has apparently been in the works for a while, with the filmmaker having started developing the project way back in the late 2000s. Del Toro told Collider that making a Frankenstein movie has been at the back of his mind ever since he saw the first film, but felt it required more growth on his part. He stated that now is the perfect time to make the movie as he finally has all of the tools he needs and truly feels ready, admitting "Now I'm brave or crazy enough or something, and we're gonna tackle it."
The first time Frankenstein's monster was introduced onto screens was way back in 1935 with James Whale's original adaptation, which predictably followed a crazed scientist who creates a living being from found body parts and a madman's brain. In 1994, Kenneth Branagh created his own version, starring Robert De Niro and Helena Bonham Carter, which took more inspiration from Shelley’s novel than its predecessor.
Just like Shelley's masterpiece, both of the remakes follow the same themes of the monstrous, family struggles, and loss of innocence, the same topics Del Toro has explored in his many fantastical yet horrifying works such as Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and his newest Netflix series Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities.
The release date for Frankenstein has not yet been announced but we'll be sure to keep you posted. To get yourself in the mood for Del Toro's outing, make your way through our list of the 25 best horror movie remakes to make you scream this Halloween.
