Oscar Isaac was booked and busy in the past year, especially as he worked on Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, leaving him with no choice but to drop two epic projects, Bohemoth! and Kockroach.
In the aftermath of his departure due to scheduling conflicts, studios have decided to look for their next lead star. Reportedly stepping in for Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth! is Pedro Pascal, the talented and charming actor who seems to be in every movie these days.
Taron Egerton, on the other hand, replaces Isaac in the feature adaptation of William Lashner’s novel, Kockroach, as per Deadline. He will be joining Channing Tatum and Zazie Beetz in the upcoming crime drama.
Oscar Isaac’s Decision to Star in Frankenstein Was Rooted in His Heritage
Isaac expressed joy in being able to play a brooding character like Victor Frankenstein. The actor, most notable for his roles in Star Wars and Moon Knight, also revealed that his Latin heritage informed his depiction of the character.
In an interview with GQ, together with del Toro, they spoke about how they bonded over their “Latinness” and that “the shadow of the father looms differently in the Latin family.” Isaac emphasized the role of patriarchy in their culture and its strong impact on them, subsequently using it to channel Victor’s masculine energy.
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Born in Guatemala City to Guatemalan-Cuban parents, Isaac revealed how they shaped the movie as “a story of outsiders.”
| Title | Frankenstein |
| Director | Guillermo del Toro |
| Streaming Details | November 7, 2025 (Netflix) |
While Frankenstein is based on Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel, del Toro’s version infuses elements that one can easily determine as a huge part of the Latin culture, such as Catholicism and even actors’ blocking typical of telenovela series.
Isaac Made the Right Call After Frankenstein Received Critical Acclaim
Despite dropping two projects to star in Frankenstein, Isaac has no regrets; instead, he’s quite overjoyed to be able to work with del Toro in a movie he’s passionate about. Speaking with SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar), he shared:
It was the most f—king fun I’ve ever had in my life. Running around in the rain, up and down steps, this Christ-like thing on a crucifix and Guillermo in the corner, screaming! It was hard to fathom that it was actually happening. It’s such dark material, but was approached with so much joy. Like 14-year-olds had keys to the kingdom – it had that kind of energy to it.
Frankenstein had a limited theatrical release last month, with critics praising del Toro for resurrecting a modern Prometheus and fans lauding the cast’s stellar performance. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered an 86% critics’ approval rating, while audiences gave it a staggering 95% score as of this writing.
Isaac certainly made the right choice in prioritizing this project, which could also be the first of his many future ventures with del Toro, the one and only master of Gothic horror storytelling.
Frankenstein will premiere on November 7, 2025, on Netflix (USA).
