When it was announced earlier this month that 20th Century Fox had officially announced a release date for their upcoming version of Frankenstein, it was a clue that the production is finally ready focus on putting all of its pieces together in order to get ready for cameras to start rolling. It was revealed that Fox wants to have the movie ready to be released in theaters on October 17, 2014 - just in time for the celebration of Halloween - and while they have some key positions set, there's still quite a bit of work to be done. Screenwriter Max Landis, who wrote Chronicle and made headlines recently for bashing Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, has penned the script; Paul McGuigan, who hasn't directed a movie since 2009's Push, is helming the film, and Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe is attached to play Igor. But what the filmmakers and studio is looking for now is someone to play the title role.
Deadline has gotten their hands on a shortlist of actors being considered to play the brilliant Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and while the sites says that there potentially other stars being looked at, there seem to be two that are leading the pack, namely Toby Kebbell and Jack Huston.
Kebbell, who made his first film appearance in the 2004 British crime thriller Dead Man Shoes, isn't quite an A-list name yet, but has worked with some big filmmakers on some big projects, including Oliver Stone's Alexander, Woody Allen's Match Point, Guy Ritchie's Rocknrolla, and Steven Spielberg's War Horse. Most recently he starred as Doc in the Sundance hit The East, alongside Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgard and Ellen Page, and is currently in production on Fox's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (which could possibly give him an edge).
Huston, who is the nephew of Anjelica Huston and Danny Huston and grandson of great director John Huston, has been making his way through Hollywood both on the big screen and the small. He is perhaps best known for playing the scarred Richard Harrow on HBO's Boardwalk Empire, and last starred in David Chase's music drama Not Fade Away. Similar to how Kebbell has a connection to the studio through his next blockbuster, Huston actually previously had the chance to collaborate with Radcliffe, the two stars coming together for the indie Kill Your Darlings, in which the two actors play Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, respectively. The film will be getting a limited release this October.
Deadline's sources say that the decision regarding who will play Frankenstein will be determined either this week or next, but fails to mention when the production is actually planning on getting going. There is still a lot of work to be done and more actors to find - who will they get to play the monster? - but presumably those slots will be filled in the coming weeks.
