While Hollywood remakes and reboots have become more prevalent in recent years, the concept is far from a new one. A great example of this is all the various adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Since 1910 when Edison Studios made the first film about the infamous doctor and his monster, we’ve seen just about every spin on the story possible. In 2015, we’ll get to see yet another, as Paul McGuigan is directing a version of Frankenstein as scripted by Max Landis.
This version is supposed to be different from most of the other ones we’ve seen, mainly because it’s said to be from the perspective of Dr. Frankenstein’s (James McAvoy) assistant, Igor (Daniel Radcliffe).
In a recent interview with Digital Spy, McAvoy revealed a bit about how he thinks this adaptation will be unique.
It’s about obsession and a maniacal pursuit of advancement, and it’s also about man and God and trying to replace God and whether that’s right or wrong with man trying to become the creator. It’s about the same thing, but it approaches it in a different fashion. It is not about the monster’s existential crisis and dilemma at all, but it is about the relationship between my own character Victor Frankenstein and Daniel Radcliffe’s character Igor, who doesn’t feature in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. So it is different.
It approaches it through a relationship rather than just through the eyes of Doctor Victor von Frankenstein. It really is about this relationship and how they spur each other on. As much as the monster is a creation, Igor is kind of his creation as well and it’s about manipulation and a little bit about abuse as well. The abuse of staple, moral rules, what you do with flesh and creation and what you do with a soul, but it’s also about the abuse of friendship – how he abuses and sort of creates Igor as well.
Considering that I, Frankenstein flopped pretty hard, it’ll be nice if this Frankenstein film can get the character back on the upswing. A story from the perspective of Igor has a lot more potential than Franky versus gargoyles, and I think the team that’s been put together for this one should lead to a quality film.
Obviously McAvoy’s a talented actor, but I really like what I’ve seen from Radcliffe in recent years too. Early descriptions of Landis’ script have described Igor as pathologically dirty and dressed in clown’s clothing. That sounds extremely creepy (in a good way) and I’m excited to see Radcliffe branch out into a role like this. Say what you want about Landis, but his scripts are always fresh and captivating, so I’m sure whatever he’s done with the story should be entertaining.
Also starring Jessica Brown Findlay, Frankenstein is scheduled to hit theaters on January 16, 2015.
What do you think of McAvoy’s comments about Frankenstein? Are you excited about the film? Head on down to the comments section to share your thoughts.