Seeing as Guillermo del Toro starts a few things which, come on, never really get finished, a take on Frankenstein is not something I’ll hold my breath for. Yet, nevertheless, the Mexican macabre master told STYD that Universal have him “on track” to crank out a screenplay which, if you believe him, will “require a couple of years just to write.” It might happen, but promises are not being dispensed.

A big wait doesn’t stop him from talking when asked, though, and del Toro was willing to say his adaptation will have to deal with the issue of faithfulness. Although no prior adaptations, good or bad as they may be, have stuck all too heavily to Mary Shelley‘s classic text, he doesn’t sound all that anxious to change the course.

From his standpoint, it’s “a very difficult, tricky slope” that can be summed up with this:

“[A]nytime that you deviate from that, you’re betraying the very goal you submitted. I’m being very faithful to trying to encompass the whole narrative of the novel. I’m being very faithful in that I’m trying to capture the spirit of the novel, when I read it as a kid, and how it impacted me. I recognize that it’s both biography and prophecy about my life. It’s a very personal film. In many ways it’s the most personal film I’ll ever make, because my connection with the creature is very profound and deep and I don’t think there’s any other monster that has affected me as much.”

One of the best things about del Toro‘s work — as well as one of the things that makes his projects difficult to get the right funding — is the overwhelming sensation that we, the viewer, are being treated to an uncompromised vision. That constitutes personal, if you ask me; it could, very likely, also be what makes his Frankenstein a truly unique creation.

It’s just going to take a while.

Is del Toro making a wise choice by going toward Frankenstein? What do you think he could bring to this story?