Classic cinematic monsters are really having a moment. Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu revitalized a forgotten vampire story, while Sinners brought vampires to the Mississippi Delta in the 1930s. Werewolves have Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man, and we’re even getting a new Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.
But no classic monster has enjoyed a new lease on life like Frankenstein, the often mis-named monster from Mary Shelley’s 1818 book. Like an electric shock through a pieced-together corpse, a surge of new movies has turned this centuries-old story into the latest trend in creature features. Now, a new take is aiming to put the monster in Eastern Europe, starring a homegrown talent.
The MCU’s Winter Soldier, Sebastian Stan, will pull double duty in Radu Jude’s Frankenstein in Romania.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude is currently writing a new Frankenstein movie entitled Frankenstein in Romania, and it’s set to star the biggest Romanian movie star in Hollywood, Sebastian Stan. This is only the latest in a long line of recent takes on Frankenstein. It all began with Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things in 2023, then Zelda Williams’ Lisa Frankenstein in 2024, and this year brings Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein on Netflix starring Oscar Isaac.
Since Frankenstein in Romania is still in the scripting phase, it’s likely to be a while before we see it on screen, but there are still more Frankenstein movies coming: Next year, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! will focus on the monster’s better half, played by Jessie Buckley.
Oscar Isaac stars as Dr. Frankenstein in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, premiering this year in November 2025.
But Frankenstein in Romania is doing something never before seen in these recent movies: Sebastian Stan will play both Dr. Frankenstein and the monster as a way to highlight the similarities between the two. 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle did something similar in National Theatre’s 2011 stage adaptation starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, with the two actors alternating playing the doctor and the monster from show to show.
Even though we’re living in a new renaissance of Frankenstein movies, this new gimmick proves that even after 200 years of takes, adaptations, and inspired stories, there are still new ways to put this timeless tale on screen from year to year. It doesn’t matter if it’s a faithful adaptation or a romance set in the 1980s; if there’s a guy being brought to life, there’s a story worth telling.
