Guillermo del Toro, one of cinema’s most imaginative storytellers, is taking on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and fans are already buzzing. The visionary director behind The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth is once again diving into the gothic world of misunderstood monsters and human emotion, this time reanimating Shelley’s century-old legend for a new generation.

According to Wikipedia, the Frankenstein story has been adapted over 423 times for feature films and more than 200 short films, making it one of the most revisited tales in cinematic history. The monster has been stitched together, reinterpreted, and reborn countless times across different cultures, styles, and languages — yet the fascination never fades.

Of course, the version that started it all for most movie fans remains Universal’s 1931 classic Frankenstein, directed by James Whale and starring the legendary Boris Karloff as the creature. That haunting black-and-white film became a cultural touchstone, giving horror cinema its heartbeat and transforming Karloff into an icon of the genre.

Interestingly, despite its groundbreaking makeup, atmosphere, and influence, Frankenstein (1931) received zero nominations from the Academy Awards. The monster may have been rejected by society in the story — and, ironically, by the Academy too.

However, the creature wasn’t done. The success of the original spawned several sequels, including 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein, which is now widely regarded as one of the greatest horror sequels ever made a rare case where the follow-up surpassed the original.

Now, del Toro’s upcoming version promises to merge the emotional depth of Shelley’s novel with his trademark visual storytelling. If his previous Oscar-winning work is any indication, this new Frankenstein might finally give the monster the golden recognition it’s been denied for nearly a century.