Guillermo del Toro Says He Wants His FRANKENSTEIN Adaptation To Be a Multi-Part Saga
Directing a new Frankenstein film has been a longtime dream and passion project for director Guillermo del Toro. I’m honestly kind of shocked that del Toro hasn’t jumped in to make his Frankenstein movie yet! But, there’s a reason for that.
During a recent virtual panel hosted by San Diego Comic-Con. Del Toro opened up a little bit more about what he would love to do with his vision of Frankenstein if he didn’t have any restrictions. He explains that he would want to be a multi-part saga:
“I’ve always [imagined it] as a two to three-part story, because in order to encompass the book you have to change points of view and it’s a complex exercise.”
Years ago del Toro said that he was at one point looking to adapt both Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein together into a miniseries, saying: "The only way to do the Shelley novel is to actually do a four-hour miniseries."
I really do hope that the filmmaker will get to bring his vision of Frankenstein to life one day. A few years ago, del Toro shared his love for the property, but also explained that he does have a fear of making it, which is why he hasn’t done it yet:
“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 can dream of something but once you’ve made it, you’ve made it. That’s it. You landed a 10 or you landed a 6.5 but you were at the Olympics already, and you were judged.”
That’s interesting. He likes to hold on to the dream of making the movie. Del Toro was actually asked by Universal Pictures to direct Frankenstein at one point but he just wasn’t ready. He told Collider several years ago:
“I mean, look, I would love to do Frankenstein and Bride, or Frankenstein for sure, but it really, Frankenstein has been—I’ve been really, really, afraid. Donna [Langley, Universal executive] has approached me a few times to start it now and I’m always like, you know, it’s like the dream project so I’m a little, I’m a chicken shit, you know? When I do it, I need to do it. Like, if I do Frankenstein, I literally would stop everything, and I’m going to a sabbatical of three years, just to write that. It’s not something that’s gonna just flow, like second nature. It’s my favorite book in history. [Laughs.]”
A Frankenstein trilogy from del Toro sounds like it would be an amazing experience! He just needs the confidence to get out there and make the damn thing!