VENICE, Italy (AP) – Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi are set to attend the Venice Film Festival on Saturday for the highly anticipated world premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein.” This premiere marks the beginning of what many expect to be a significant awards season campaign for the film.

In this new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s iconic novel, Oscar Isaac portrays Victor Frankenstein while Jacob Elordi takes on the role of the monster. Guillermo del Toro, who has been envisioning this film for 30 years, expressed his excitement, stating, “It’s the movie that I’ve been in training for 30 years to do,” in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

However, the evening of the premiere is expected to see some disruption due to a planned anti-war march, which organizers hope will draw attention to the situation in Gaza. The march is set to conclude near the festival, potentially impacting the red carpet event.

The last time del Toro attended the Venice Film Festival was in 2017 with his film “The Shape of Water,” which won the festival’s top prize that year and later went on to win the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director in 2018. Netflix, although yet to secure a Best Picture Oscar, is making a substantial investment in “Frankenstein.” Del Toro’s previous film, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” earned Netflix its first Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

Similar to The Shape of Water, “Frankenstein” is poised to compete for major awards at Venice, facing competition from other notable films such as Yorgos Lanthimos's “Bugonia,” Kathryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite,” Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice,” and Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” The winners will be revealed by the jury, chaired by Alexander Payne, on September 6.

After its premiere, Netflix plans to release “Frankenstein” in theaters on October 17, followed by a streaming release on November 7.

For further updates on the 2025 Venice Film Festival, you can visit this link.

— Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press