Without a dramatic twist behind the scenes, Guillermo del Toro’s film ‘Frankenstein’ is finally taking shape. The Oscar-winning director, known for turning monsters into mythic poetry, has recast the film’s iconic creature.
Del Toro revealed that he had just nine weeks to completely reimagine the look and essence of Frankenstein’s monster after original star Andrew Garfield exited the film due to scheduling conflicts, following the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
Garfield’s departure was no small setback since the director and his trusted make-up artist Mike Hill had already spent nine months carefully crafting Garfield’s version of the creature.
“I mean, it was like Jacob is the most perfect actor for the creature,” del Toro said of Jacob Elordi, who stepped into the role last-minute.
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“And we have a supernaturally good connection. It’s like, very few words. Very few things I have to say and he does it.” Towering at 6’5”, Elordi brings an entirely new physicality to the role, a stark contrast to Garfield’s 5’10” frame. His height, gangly elegance and sombre intensity helped reframe the creature not just as a monster, but as something tragically human.
Although the last-minute change forced the team to rebuild their monster in just nine weeks, the pressure seems to have led to unexpected magic. “We recast and we had nine weeks,” del Toro said. “You can’t be under more pressure than that.”
Elordi’s monster is expected to be both tender and terrifying. “His demeanour is innocent,” Hill noted, “but it’s encompassed in a six-foot-five frame. He could really do a lot of damage if this man really wanted to be a bad guy.”
Also starring Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and Charles Dance, Frankenstein promises to be a haunting and deeply human take on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel. As del Toro continues shaping his most ambitious gothic vision yet, it’s clear he’s found not just a creature, but a muse, in Elordi.
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