The Unconventional Choice: Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein's Monster

The Legacy of Frankenstein

Frankenstein has been long-gestating. A Saltburn star replaces Andrew Garfield as Frankenstein's monster in Guillermo del Toro's upcoming Netflix Frankenstein movie. Mary Shelley’s legendary Gothic novel, originally published in 1818, was given its most famous movie adaptation in 1931, with Boris Karloff as the iconic monster. Now over 90 years after Karloff’s definitive portrayal, a new Frankenstein’s monster will be unleashed by del Toro, whose long-gestating Frankenstein adaptation is moving ahead at Netflix, starring Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth.

Guillermo del Toro Gives Update On Frankenstein Adaptation

The cast of del Toro’s Frankenstein indeed continues to come together, as Deadline reports that Saltburn's Jacob Elordi is taking on the role of the monster, stepping in for Garfield, who reportedly exited the film due to scheduling conflicts brought about by 2023's twin strikes. Christoph Waltz, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley and Christian Convery have also been added to the cast.

The Unconventional Choice

Elordi is currently red-hot due to his roles in the Golden Globes-nominated Saltburn, and in Sofia Coppola’s recent biopic Priscilla, in which he portrayed Elvis Presley. The buzz around Elordi only adds to any buzz around Frankenstein, a film that is already highly intriguing, given del Toro’s involvement. Elordi’s performances in his recent films prove that he has the acting chops needed to pull off playing one of cinema’s most iconic horror characters.

The casting of Elordi indeed points toward how unconventional and unique del Toro’s take on Frankenstein is set to be. Garfield was himself an unusual choice to play the monster, after years of portrayals by the likes of Karloff, Robert De Niro and Christopher Lee. Like Garfield, Elordi is not the type of actor who immediately springs to mind when imagining Frankenstein’s monster. It should be no surprise to see del Toro, a filmmaker with a deep understanding of horror and movie monsters, veering away from what’s been done before, as he stitches together his own unique take on Shelley’s iconic creation.

The Vision of del Toro

Frankenstein reportedly stars Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, and Goth as The Bride. Del Toro has been working on his Frankenstein adaptation for years, and now with the addition of Elordi as the monster, he has assembled a strong cast. Not much else is known about what del Toro has in store for viewers, but he’s the perfect director for the material, and Elordi is an intriguing if surprising choice to play the monster.