Netflix has unveiled the complete official trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated adaptation of Frankenstein, featuring Oscar Isaac in the role of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant scientist whose ambitions lead to tragic consequences.
Del Toro has passionately expressed his admiration for Mary Shelley’s novel over the years, often revealing his aspiration to create a film that embodies its grand, tragic themes. Although he appreciated the initial script of Kenneth Branagh’s 1994 adaptation, he felt the final product strayed significantly from that vision. After facing several challenges, del Toro committed to this project with Netflix in 2023. He described the film during the Netflix Tudum event earlier this year as “the culmination of a journey that has occupied most of my life,” stating, “Monsters have become my personal belief system. There are strands of Frankenstein throughout my films.”
During a press conference at the film’s world premiere in Venice last month, del Toro reflected, “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. I have been following the creature since I was a child, and I always awaited the right conditions to make this movie, both creatively and in terms of the scale needed to truly capture the essence of the story.”
The official synopsis outlines the film’s premise:
Guillermo del Toro, an Oscar-winning director, adapts Mary Shelley’s timeless story of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant yet self-absorbed scientist who ignites a catastrophic chain of events after bringing a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that leads to the ruin of both the creator and his creation.
The cast features Jacob Elordi as the Creature, Mia Goth as Elizabeth Lavenza, engaged to Victor’s younger brother William, portrayed by William Kammerer. Other notable actors include Lars Mikkelsen as Captain Anderson, Christoph Waltz as Heinrich Harlander—the wealthy uncle of Elizabeth who finances Victor’s experiments—Charles Dance as Victor’s father Leopold, Lauren Collins as Victor’s deceased mother Claire, David Bradley as the blind man, Sofia Galasso as the little girl, Ralph Ineson as Professor Krempe, and Burn Gorman as Fritz.
The trailer promises an epic and visually stunning experience, aligning with del Toro’s artistic vision. “I remember pieces,” the Creature states in a voiceover while scenes unfold. “Memories of different men. Then I saw it. Your name. Victor Frankenstein. My creator. I demand a single grace from you. If you are not to award me love, then I will indulge in rage.”
Visually arresting images feature opulent balls, Victor’s eerie Gothic laboratory, a ship trapped in Arctic ice, and sweeping flames—everything expected from a masterful interpretation of the Frankenstein saga.
Frankenstein is set to debut in theaters on October 17, 2025, and will be available for streaming on Netflix starting November 7.
