If Guillermo del Toro’s last three movies are any indication, then Frankenstein could 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 of Guillermo del Toro’s best movies include Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and The Shape of Water.
The celebrated director’s next movie will be Frankenstein, which is scheduled to be released in November on Netflix. Based on del Toro’s previous works, Frankenstein will surely be a unique adaptation of Mary Shelley’s iconic 1818 novel. The filmmaker has been trying to make Frankenstein for 25 years, so it’s clearly a pᴀssion project for him.
The cast of Frankenstein includes 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, Frankenstein is bound to be a major success. Additionally, it’s worth noting that del Toro is in the midst of an eight-year Oscars streak, which could potentially continue with Frankenstein.
Guillermo Del Toro’s Been On An Oscars H๏τ 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’s The 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 Water won Best Picture at the Academy Awards and also earned del Toro a win for Best Director.
The Shape of Water was 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 Water was only the second fantasy movie ever to win Best Picture at the Oscars, the first being 2003’s The 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 success at the biggest award shows.
After The Shape of Water, del Toro’s next two movies also received nominations in major categories at the Oscars. 2021’s Nightmare Alley was nominated for Best Picture and 2022’s Pinocchio was 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 for Frankenstein to receive a Best Picture nomination at next year’s Academy Awards. Given del Toro’s track record, there’s no doubt that Frankenstein will 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
Frankenstein will 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.
A trailer for Frankenstein has 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 like Frankenstein’s tone, 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, Frankenstein will have a lot of compeтιтion. Movies like Hamnet, Sentimental Value, Bugonia, and Wicked: For Good will definitely all be worthy compeтιтors.
Additionally, there’s a strong chance that Sinners, 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 impact Frankenstein. 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 not Frankenstein will 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 whether Frankenstein will continue this impressive streak for del Toro.
