Guillermo del Toro Reveals James Cameron’s Influence in Trimming 7 Minutes from Frankenstein: “Jim told me, ‘This is beautiful, but you need to cut it.'”

Guillermo del Toro recently shared that James Cameron advised him to remove a stunning seven-minute scene from his adaptation of Frankenstein.

In a conversation at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, del Toro explained his creative process: “What I do – because we don’t test the movies – is show it to a select group of 14 or 16 brilliant friends. I’m fortunate to have such strong friendships.” He named notable filmmakers like Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro Iñárritu, Jim Cameron, Rian Johnson, and Steven Spielberg as part of this trusted circle. “When they see the movie, they give me their honest feedback, and we agree to be brutally honest. Jim [Cameron] came in and said, ‘Look, there’s this section’ – which is no longer in the film – ‘This is beautiful, but you have to cut it.’ And it was about seven minutes… When someone from that circle gives me feedback, I take it seriously. I don’t argue.”

In this version of Frankenstein, Oscar Isaac plays the ambitious scientist whose radical experiments lead to the creation of the Creature, portrayed by Jacob Elordi. This project has been a long-standing passion for del Toro, who has been working to bring it to life for nearly two decades. Elordi described the film as focusing more on personal themes than scientific ones, stating, “To me, it’s a biography of Guillermo’s.”

Meanwhile, Cameron’s latest sci-fi adventure, Avatar: Fire and Ash, hit theaters last month, featuring the Sully family facing a new adversary: the Mangkwan, led by the formidable Varang, who has allied with Jake’s nemesis, Colonel Miles Quaritch.

Frankenstein is currently available for streaming on Netflix.