James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe Star in Victor Frankenstein Trailer

Posted on August 18, 2015

And now, for something completely different -- here is the first trailer for Victor Frankenstein which takes the classic horror tale by Mary Shelley into new territory. James McAvoy plays Victor Von Frankenstein and Daniel Radcliffe is his protege Igor.

Frankenstein and Igor want to help humanity by scientifically discovering a way to make humans immortal. But somewhere along the way, Dr. Frankenstein loses his way and creates a dark and terrible monster. He also has quite a bit of trouble with the authorities, what with all the grave robbing and monster terrorizing the populace issues.

This version of Frankenstein reimagines the tale from Igor's perspective. Dr. Frankenstein is a genius, but he is teetering on the brink of madness due to his obsession with creating life from death. Victor and Igor are best friends, as well as colleagues. The film is darkly funny and quite gothic. The one liners sarcastic asides are many. In fact, in one scene the director pays homage to Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein when Lorelei (Downton Abbey's Jessica Brown Findlay) mispronounces Victor's last name as frank-en-steen.

As Dr. Frankenstein's plans go awry, Igor gets very worried and is not sure about continuing the project. Victor tells Igor, "You have the chance to be a part of something!" Igor replies, "Of what? Being electrocuted, chased by monsters and hunted by the police?" "Well... if you're going to concentrate on the dark side..." responds Victor. Daniel Radcliffe is sporting an amazing wig in the film. He has a lot of hair -- it's sort of Prince Valiant meets Louise Brooks and it's hilarious.

The film was directed by Paul McGuigan from a screenplay by Max Landis (Chronicle, American Ultra). Paul McGuigan directed a number of episodes of the BBC's Sherlock which stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. You'll see several Sherlock alums in the cast: Andrew Scott, who played Moriaty, Mark Gatiss, who plays Mycroft Holmes, and Louise Brealey who played Molly Hooper. This looks like a very entertaining take on a classic monster tale. Clearly Daniel and James had a great time filming it -- their chemistry makes for an amazing bromance. In this clip they introduce the movie:

JAMES MCAVOY