It seems like every other generation gets its own Frankenstein movie. If you're like me, you've seen 'em all: the 1931 James Whale classic; Hammer Films' ghoulish 1957 version starring Christopher Lee; Kenneth Branagh's over-the-top 1994 number. Now we have Paul McGuigan's VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN, which is a fairly traditional telling of the tale, albeit with plenty of digressions from Mary Shelley's immortal book. In it, that irascible mad scientist Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy), obsessed with creating life after death, endeavors to animate a corpse with the help of a physically impaired but medically astute assistant named Igor (Daniel Radcliffe). Things don't go according to plan – often the fate of men who think they can play god.
I sat down with McAvoy and Radcliffe to talk about their connection to the history of Frankenstein (rest assured, I, FRANKENSTEIN is paid tribute), the connection between characters, Radcliffe's physically demanding performance, and what the future might hold for Victor and Igor.
Director Paul McGuigan has films like GANGSTER NO.1, LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN and PUSH to his name, but most audiences are likely to associate him with the several episodes of BBC's Sherlock he's helmed. And though Sherlock takes place in modern day London, it seems likely it was McGuigan's deft work on that series that won him the gig of bringing literature's most famous mad scientist back to life. Here we talk about what attracted him to the project, what inspiration he drew from the original films, casting the lead roles and more.
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