Exclusive: Henry Cavill In Talks For Frankenstein Movie
Henry Cavill is in negotiations with Universal Pictures for a Frankenstein movie.
This article is more than 2 years old
According to our trusted and proven sources, Henry Cavill is currently looking to take on one of the other most iconic characters around: Frankenstein.
Henry Cavill is currently negotiating to take a role in a new Universal Pictures reboot of Frankenstein, the story of a monster constructed out of corpses and electricity, based on the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley.
Though the novel Frankenstein is in the public domain and technically available for anyone to adapt, Universal Pictures has been associated with the character since the influential 1931 film version by James Whale (as well as the subsequent Bride of Frankenstein and many lesser sequels).
Universal Pictures has been trying to figure out a way to modernize its roster of classic monsters for years now, and Henry Cavill in Frankenstein could be a pretty good step forward.
When Henry Cavill accepted the role of Superman for Warner Bros., he also took on the risk that he might forever be associated with one of the most iconic characters in all of pop culture. He seems to have dodged that kryptonite bullet with his other big franchise, The Witcher, and it is very uncertain whether Warner Bros. Discovery can convince him to come back for even a cameo or to get knocked out by Dwayne Johnson.
Of course, as annoying people will tell you, Frankenstein technically refers to the scientist, not the monster, which raises the question of who Henry Cavill might be in talks to play. Given that Henry Cavill is very famous for being ridiculously muscular and imposing, there is a certain logic to him playing the Monster (plus, there is already precedent for Hot Frankenstein’s Monster).
On the other hand, Henry Cavill might also be interested in mixing up his public image and playing Doctor Henry Frankstein, a driven man of science, albeit of the mad variety.
There is even the possibility that Henry Cavill could really throw a curveball and play Igor, the hunchbacked assistant to Doctor Frankenstein (who is not part of the original novel but was eventually codified into the legend via multiple movies).
Daniel Radcliffe played a sympathetic version of the character in the 2015 film Victor Frankenstein and Marty Feldman memorably played a comedic version in Mel Brooks’ 1974 classic Young Frankenstein, so why not a super-cut, athletic Igor? If nothing else, the story of Frankenstein has been proven to be extraordinarily able to support different versions of the lore, so it could happen.
Universal Pictures has not released an official Frankenstein film since 1948’s Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein and plans to form a shared “Dark Universe” with their classic monsters in the 2010s famously collapsed. In that version, Javier Bardem was to play the Monster and Angelina Jolie the Bride, which is sadly a version we will likely never see.
Henry Cavill is already playing a very jacked version of Sherlock Holmes in the upcoming EnolaHolmes 2, so it might not be that long before he plays yet another iconic character in Frankenstein (or his Monster).
