‘Frankenstein’ Gets New Title and Synopsis

written by Ana on 30 June 2014

As Paul McGuigan puts the finishing touches on his version of the Frankenstein tale, starring James McAvoy, Daniel Radcliffe and Jessica Brown Findlay, it’s picked up both a new title and a new synopsis.

20th Century Fox revealed this morning that McGuigan’s Frankenstein is now going by the title Victor Frankenstein. That name ought to please the sticklers who are always smugly pointing out that Frankenstein is the name of the doctor, not the monster.

Despite the title, Victor Frankenstein is really Igor’s tale. Here’s the official synopsis:

James McAvoy is Victor Von Frankenstein and Daniel Radcliffe stars as Igor in a unique, never-before-seen twist on Mary Shelley’s classic 19th century novel. Told from Igor’s perspective, we see the troubled young assistant’s dark origins, his redemptive friendship with the young medical student Victor Von Frankenstein, and become eyewitnesses to the emergence of how Frankenstein became the man—and the legend—we know today.

Frankenstein and his monster were originally creations of novelist Mary Shelley, but Igor wasn’t conceived until Universal adapted Shelley’s book into a film series in the ’30s. He’s cropped up in many other forms and in many other places since then, but the Max Landis-scripted Victor Frankenstein is the rare retelling to put Igor front and center.

Victor Frankenstein has been in the works for a few years already. Shawn Levy was set to direct at one point, but at some point that job shifted over to McGuigan. The film was originally supposed to open in fall 2014, then early 2015, and now it’s scheduled for October 2, 2015.

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