Guillermo del Toro’s highly-anticipated “Frankenstein” is being further hinted at with new images from the production, and this time, Jacob Elordi‘s titular monster gets an extra peek. The buzzy “Frankenstein” adaptation already has dropped a teaser, but Elordi’s role was mostly kept hidden in the shadows. Now, a fuller look at the actor’s transformation into the character has been revealed.
Elordi’s monster is reanimated by scientist Victor Frankenstein, played by Oscar Isaac. Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, Christian Convery, and Charles Dance co-star. The feature is written and directed by del Toro, and based on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.” Del Toro, J. Miles Dale, and Scott Stuber produce.
The official logline reads: “Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro adapts Mary Shelley’s classic tale of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.”
Andrew Garfield was originally set to star in the lead role; due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, he exited the project following scheduling conflicts, with Elordi replacing him just nine weeks before shooting. Makeup artist Mike Hill told Vanity Fair that it was Elordi’s physique that really added another layer to the character.
“The thing about Jacob is, he just has everything rolled into one,” Hill said. “What attracted me to him was his gangliness and his wrists. It was this looseness. Then he has these real somber moments where he watches you really deftly, and his eyelids are low, with the long lashes like Karloff. I was like, ‘I don’t know who else you could get with a physicality like this.’ His demeanor is innocent, 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.”
Del Toro added, “Jacob is the most perfect actor for the creature. And we have a supernaturally good connection. It’s like, very few words. Very few things I have to say, and he does it.”
Elordi asked del Toro’s permission to study Boris Karloff’s performance as the monster in director James Whale’s 1930s Universal films. “I devoured all of his monsters,” Elordi said of Karloff. “At first I thought, I’ll stay away from this. I want to do my own thing.’ And then I asked Guillermo, ‘Should I watch the other Frankensteins?’ And he goes, ‘What the fuck do you mean?’ I was like, ‘Well, I don’t want it to be influenced.’ He says, ‘My friend, it’s a movie, it can’t fucking hurt you.’ I went home, and I just binged them.”
Elordi added, Something in his gaze, something in the way that he moves…. The biggest thing was just immersing myself in the world of these creatures.”
Elordi previously told IndieWire that the cast watched two Frankenstein films from the 1930s as references while filming del Toro’s adaptation. “I think I’ve seen every creature film ever made. Strangely enough, Guillermo gave me a baby book — a baby development book — at the start of filming,” Elordi said. “[Those] two references I remember greatly.”
He also teased to IndieWire that “Frankenstein” is going to be “one hell of a movie.”
“Frankenstein” continues Netflix’s partnership with del Toro, including the Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature Film, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” the anthology series “Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities,” and the animated films “Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans” and “Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia.”
“Frankenstein” premieres on Netflix in November 2025. Check out additional images below.
