Monster movie legend Guillermo del Toro reveals, that if he were provided with the financial backing, he would start work on a three-part movie series of Frankenstein. Frankenstein tells the story of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque creature made from the parts of dead men. The creature is then left abandoned by Dr. Frankenstein and must fend for itself in a world terrified by its very existence.
Mary Shelley’s novel is one of del Toro’s favorite books, and he has professed over the years his desire to adapt the novel into a film. There have been at least 75 film adaptations made of the classic sci-fi horror story, most of which have never been able to cover the full scope of the story. Del Toro wishes to have the opportunity to cover more of the original unexplored text with his three-part film.
During a Comic-Con@Home Panel dedicated to del Toro and director Scott Cooper, co-creators of Antlers, the two were asked if they had the financial support to make whatever they movie wanted, what film would they instantly start work on? Del Toro gave two answers. One of them being At the Mountains of Madness, his H.P. Lovecraft passion project, and the other being Frankenstein. Del Toro explains that he would make the film in either two or three parts because "in order to encompass a book you have to change points of view and it’s a complicated… It’s a complex exercise.”
Over the years, del Toro stated that Frankenstein saved him, and he often thinks of Mary Shelly while he is working on his stories. Del Toro has thanked Mary Shelley, for creating a monster to represent the fear man has in the possibility of becoming a monster themself. In his own work, del Toro creates monsters of all kinds, many of which hold similar traits to Shelley’s original creature. The faun in Pan’s Labyrinth, the amphibian man in The Shape of Water, Abe Sapien from Hellboy, and the ghosts from Crimson Peak are all, in some way or another, derived from Shelley’s original creature.
If another adaptation is to be made of Frankenstein, then del Toro is the one to do it. Del Toro's reverence for the original text would ensure the story is done justice. With his renowned style and love of monsters, del Toro would provide the audience with a unique perspective on The Modern Prometheus tale. Celebrating imperfection, man as the monster, and monsters becoming lovable once they are loved, are themes often explored by del Toro in his work. With his passion for the book, del Toro’s two to three-part movie adaptation of Frankenstein could be the ultimate love letter to Mary Shelley and the creature she created.
Source: Comic-Con International