Guillermo del Toro has revealed that an extended version of his critically acclaimed adaptation of Frankenstein is on the way.
The director confirmed the news at the Sundance Film Festival during a screening of a 4K restoration of Cronos, his directorial debut film. According to attendees of the event, del Toro shared that the longer cut of Frankenstein had already been completed. And, while he didn't offer a specific date, he mentioned that it would be released in the near future.
The audience also claimed that del Toro dubbed the alternate cut as an "all the stitches" version of his adaptation of Frankenstein. Judging by his comments, it is safe to assume that the upcoming project will include all the content that didn't make it to the final version of the film that was released both theatrically and on Netflix.
Although del Toro did announce that the extended cut would be coming soon, he didn't reveal where it would be released.It would make sense for the expanded Frankenstein to be available to stream exclusively on Netflix. However, that might not necessarily be the case. It could drop on more than one platform, or it might even get a theatrical release. He also hints that the project might even be released on DVD or Blu-ray.
Netflix and del Toro's Frankenstein is a reimagining of Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking 1818 book of the same name. The story follows an egotistical scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who creates a monster named Frankenstein's monster, through unethical means. And, soon after, chaos ensues, as both suffer from the consequences of his actions.
The director's take on the Gothic tale makes the titular monster a lot more sympathetic than the original novel did. In the film, Frankenstein's monster acts more out of self-defense than outright murder for the sake of revenge. It also heavily alters the ending by having the creature forgive Victor and choose to live. His creator also calls him son before he dies.
The book's ending is far darker and more depressing. The scientist dies while trying to kill his creation. And, while Frankenstein's monster does express regret and remorse for his actions, he went off to kill himself instead of starting a new life for himself. While the book doesn't reveal anything about his demise or if he followed through with it, it is heavily implied that the creature did follow through on his promise to end his life.
Del Toro's Frankenstein is available to stream on Netflix.
