News Frankenstein Guillermo del Toro Compares Adapting Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to “Marrying a Widow” Director Guillermo del Toro offers a unique perspective on the challenges of staying true to Mary Shelley’s novel. By Matthew Byrd | Published on October 16, 2025 Photo: Netflix Comment 0 Share New Share Photo: Netflix During a recent interview with various outlets (as covered by Forbes), Frankenstein director Guillermo del Toro discussed the various challenges and joys that came from bringing his new movie to life. Naturally, the conversation involved the topic of adapting and remaining “faithful” to Mary Shelley’s work. As we have discussed, there have been many great Frankenstein adaptations over the years, but none have ever offered an entirely accurate adaptation of the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Those adaptations have even gradually reshaped the popular perception of that story over the decades. Naturally, that long history of variations and interpretations has fostered a fascination with the idea of a Frankenstein movie or show that at least attempts to offer a more accurate interpretation of the source material. For his part, though, Del Toro makes it clear that he is not aiming for such a strict retelling. His version of Frankenstein will instead draw upon not just the novel but Shelley’s life, other works, and the culture they helped inspire. “I have dedicated my life to the Romantic movement and Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and Gothic literature. This is decades of study and absorption,” del Toro says. “My Frankenstein is an amalgam of her biography, my biography, the Romantic movement, the novel, et cetera, et cetera. The movie is not just the book, and Mary Shelley is not just that book.” Del Toro goes on to describe his movie as a “complete act of love that has taken so many decades to create.” And while he says that he would “exchange my entire career for an afternoon having tea with Mary Shelley or the Brontë sisters,” he points out that Shelley accepted less-than-accurate theatrical adaptations of Frankenstein in her lifetime. He also offers a rather… unique perspective on what it’s like adapting such a story and making changes along the way. “Adapting a book is like marrying a widow,” del Toro muses. “You have to respect the late husband, but on Saturdays, you are allowed to get it on.” Well, okay then. Rather than leave the gathered media members with that thought, del Toro goes on to say that he doesn’t want to tell people what they should take away from his version of the story, but he does hope they will open their hearts to the emotion of the experience. “In the world we live in now, a lot of people are scared of emotion. They find it really corny,” del Toro suggests. “I don’t. I think emotion is the new punk. It’s the new anarchy. We’ve got to rebel and say, ‘To all that wisdom you bring with your irony, to all that callousness you bring with your certainty, well, I give you this emotion and f**k you.’” Frankenstein will receive a limited theatrical release starting on October 17 and will be available to stream on Netflix beginning on November 7. [end-mark] The post Guillermo del Toro Compares Adapting Mary Shelley’s <i>Frankenstein</i> to “Marrying a Widow” appeared first on Reactor.