“Not afraid of AI”: Guillermo Del Toro’s $120M Frankenstein rejects AI metaphor at Venice premiere

Guillermo del Toro premiered his highly anticipated “Frankenstein” adaptation at the Venice Film Festival, starring Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac in a $120 million reimagining of Mary Shelley’s classic tale. The Oscar-winning director explicitly rejected interpretations of the film as an AI cautionary tale, quipping “I’m not afraid of artificial intelligence. I’m afraid of natural stupidity.”

What you should know: Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” represents a lifelong dream project that took years of preparation to achieve the right creative and financial conditions.

• The film follows a brilliant but egotistical scientist (Isaac) who brings a monstrous creature (Elordi) to life, leading to the destruction of both characters.
• Instead of a standard horror film, del Toro envisions the story as a layered family drama exploring themes of humanity and imperfection.
• “I’ve been following the creature since I was kid. I waited for the movie to be done in the right conditions, both creatively in terms of achieving the scope to make it different, and to make it at a scale that you could reconstruct the whole world,” del Toro explained.

Why this matters: The film competes for Venice’s prestigious Golden Lion award, which del Toro previously won in 2017 for “The Shape of Water,” positioning him as a major contender in the festival circuit.

What they’re saying: Del Toro firmly distanced his adaptation from contemporary AI anxieties, focusing instead on broader human themes.

• “It’s not intended as a metaphor for that,” del Toro said regarding AI interpretations. “We live in a time of terror and intimidation, certainly. And there’s no more urgent task than to remain, in a time where everything is pushing towards a bipolar, understanding of our humanity.”
• When asked about modern monsters, Elordi quickly replied: “Men in suits,” with del Toro adding, “Very well tailored [ones].”
• Isaac reflected on his casting journey: “I can’t believe that I’m here right now. I can’t believe we got to this place from two years ago, sitting at [del Toro’s] table eating Cuban pork and talking about our fathers and our lives.”

The Netflix factor: Despite the massive budget, “Frankenstein” will have only a limited three-week theatrical release before streaming exclusively on Netflix.

• Del Toro expressed satisfaction with the arrangement, noting the platform’s potential to reach “over 300 million viewers.”
• The director referenced his 2021 film “Nightmare Alley,” which struggled at the box office against “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and the Omicron COVID variant, demonstrating the unpredictable nature of theatrical releases.
• “You never know what’s going to happen,” del Toro said about the current state of movie theaters.