If Guillermo del Toro’s last three movies are any indication, thenFrankensteincould be a major awards contender after its release later this year. Throughout his career, del Toro has made several critically acclaimed films, and has particularly found success in the horror genre. Some ofGuillermo del Toro’s best moviesincludeHellboy,Pan’s Labyrinth, andThe Shape of Water.
The celebrated director’snext movie will beFrankenstein, which is scheduled to be released in November on Netflix. Based on del Toro’s previous works,Frankensteinwill surely be a unique adaptation of Mary Shelley’s iconic 1818 novel. The filmmaker has beentrying to makeFrankensteinfor 25 years, so it’s clearly a passion project for him.
The cast ofFrankensteinincludes Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz. With this talent in front of the camera and del Toro’s reputation as one of the best directors in the world,Frankensteinis bound to be a major success. Additionally, it’s worth noting thatdel Toro is in the midst of an eight-year Oscars streak, which could potentially continue withFrankenstein.
Guillermo Del Toro’s Been On An Oscars Hot Streak Since 2017
Even When He Loses, He’s Gotten Big Nominations
Since the beginning of his career, del Toro has been celebrated as a filmmaker. Unfortunately,horror movies and other genre films, no matter how acclaimed they are, have often struggled to get recognized at the major award shows. Because of this, it’s possible that del Toro actually didn’t receive enough recognition earlier in his career.
However, this seems to have changed with 2017’sThe Shape of Water. Ever since the release of this fantasy/romance movie, it appears that del Toro has been one of the top directors on the Academy’s radar.The Shape of Waterwon Best Picture at the Academy Awardsand also earned del Toro a win for Best Director.
The Shape of Waterwas only the second fantasy movie ever to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
This was a significant moment for del Toro, but also for the film industry as a whole.The Shape of Waterwas only the second fantasy movie ever to win Best Picture at the Oscars, the first being 2003’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.Del Toro walking home with the top prize at the 90th Academy Awards once again showed people that fantasy movies and other genre films can find successat the biggest award shows.
AfterThe Shape of Water, del Toro’s next two movies also received nominations in major categories at the Oscars. 2021’sNightmare Alleywas nominated for Best Picture and 2022’sPinocchiowas nominated for, and won, Best Animated Feature. Therefore,del Toro’s last three movies have all been nominated for either Best Picture or Best Animated Feature.
Because of this streak,there’s a lot of pressure forFrankensteinto receive a Best Picture nomination at next year’s Academy Awards. Given del Toro’s track record, there’s no doubt thatFrankensteinwill be a great movie, but will it be one of the best movies of the year?
Can Frankenstein Get A Best Picture Nomination?
It Certainly Has The Early Buzz
Frankensteinwill have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, which commences at the end of August. Because of this, there are no early reactions or reviews for del Toro’s take on the iconic monster story just yet. However, obviously, there is a lot of hype behind the project.
Atrailer forFrankensteinhas been released and makes it clear that the movie will be a faithful adaptation of Shelley’s novel.The film, just like the novel, will act as a character study for Victor Frankenstein, the brilliant scientist who creates the creature. The movie will follow Victor as he is in the process of creating his creature, then when he is dealing with the consequences of his actions.
Based on the trailer,it seems likeFrankenstein’stone, cast, and production design will all be perfect. Therefore, it’s likely that it will get the attention of Academy voters. However, since 2025 is shaping up to be a very stacked year,Frankensteinwill have a lot of competition. Movies likeHamnet,Sentimental Value,Bugonia, andWicked: For Goodwill definitely all be worthy competitors.
Additionally, there’s a strong chance thatSinners, another horror movie,will be nominated for Best Picture. It’s possible that Academy voters won’t want to nominate two horror movies, which could potentially negatively impactFrankenstein. However, there may be no need to worry since, as mentioned,the Academy has started to nominate more horror projects in recent years.
At this point in time,it’s far too early to confidently claim whether or notFrankensteinwill be nominated for Best Picture. After its world premiere, early reviews and reactions will provide a clearer picture of its chances, and could potentially create even more hype for the project.
Given del Toro’s positive standing with the Academy, it would not be surprising if it does get nominated for the top prize at the 2025 Oscars. Once the official Oscar nominations are announced in January 2026, it will be very interesting to see whetherFrankensteinwill continue this impressive streak for del Toro.
