Oscar Isaac Looks On The Brink Of Madness In New Image For Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein

Netflix has shared a major update on Frankenstein. The movie, which was directed by Guillermo del Toro, is an adaptation of the 1818 Mary Shelley novel of the same name. The upcoming Frankensteinstars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, the notorious scientist who discovers a way to reanimate undead tissue, and Jacob Elordi as The Monster, his undead creation cobbled together from various body parts. The ensemble cast of the movie also includes Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Christian Convery, Charles Dance, and Ralph Ineson.

Now, Netflix has unveiled a first-look image from Frankenstein, also revealing that the Guillermo del Toro movie will premiere in November 2025, though they did not disclose the exact day when it will arrive. The image in question is a still frame showing Oscar Isaac, in period costume with medium-length hair, energetically addressing an impassive crowd while holding what appears to be a part of an electrical device. He is so impassioned that he appears to be on the brink of madness. See the full-size image below:

Oscar Isaac is pointing at something to his peers in Frankenstein

What This Means For Frankenstein

Guillermo Del Toro Is Taking A Classical Approach

Guillermo del Toro looking serious in front of a black and white Frankenstein

While it does not give much away about the story, it seems that the first-look image from Netflix's Frankenstein movie is from an early scene where Victor tries to share his discoveries with the scientific establishment. They will almost certainly attempt to shut down his endeavors, if the movie is a reasonably faithful adaptation. The image also offers a glimpse at del Toro's aesthetic approach to the story, which seems to take a classical bent when it comes to bringing the iconic story to the screen.

While a November release means that the new Guillermo del Toro movie will premiere after Halloween is over, it may turn out to be the perfect time for the more classically-oriented title to premiere. At the time of writing, it is the only full-on horror movie set to debut during that month, with its only competition being the horror-adjacent title Predator: Badlands. The classicism of Frankenstein could be the perfect complement to that modern sci-fi-action outing, appealing to audiences who have already satisfied their appetites for modern approaches to genre cinema that month.

Our Take On The Frankenstein Update

It Could Become A Hit

Boris Karloff as Frankenstein Reaching Toward the Camera.

Given its aesthetic lushness and its holiday season debut, Frankenstein could be poised to become a hit at the level of Robert Eggers' Nosferatu remake, which debuted on Christmas Day in 2024, grossed more than $150 million worldwide, and has been nominated for four Oscars. The original Nosferatu was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, so the success of Eggers' movie may speak to general audiences being primed for further Gothic literary adaptations.

Source: Netflix