There’s no rule that says iconic horror characters who exist as part of the public domain can’t be perpetually rebooted and thrown back onto the screen at regular intervals, but recent evidence suggests that Netflix’s incoming Creature could end up getting lost in the shuffle.
Not only did Universal’s double-pronged assault of Dracula movies fail twice in short order when both Renfield and The Last Voyage of the Demeter tanked within the space of four months, but the streaming service also has another reboot of the exact same story in the works, and this one is on a significantly grander scale.
Creature takes place during the dying ember of the Ottoman Empire, with the Turkish miniseries following a medical student partnering up with a much more eccentric peer to conduct experiments that could generously be called “unscrupulous,” and the title no doubt lets you know what sort of procedures they end up carrying out. Yep, it’s Frankenstein, something Netflix is apparently keen to monopolize.
Of course, the show won’t make the same sort of splash as three-time Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro’s spin on the legendary tale that begins shooting next year with a massive budget and a cast boasting Andrew Garfield, Oscar Isaac, Christoph Waltz, and Mia Goth, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a hit.
After all, it’s an atmospheric adaptation of a seminal tale that drops this coming Friday, Oct. 20 right before Halloween, so we’d be willing to bet Creature makes a suitable splash upon its premiere.
